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BOY'S OWN BOOK; 



A COMPLETE ENCYCLOPEDIA 



A^& wmm Bswmm^E@M^^ 



ATHLETIC, SCIENTIFIC, AND RECREATIVE, 



OF R^YHOOD AND YOUTH. 



A playground is an emblem of the world ; 
Its gamesome boys are men in miniature : 
The most important action of the man 
May find its parody 'mong childhood's sports J 
And life itself, when longest, happiest, — 
In boyhood's brief and jocund holiday. 



SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. 



BOSTON: 



MUNROE AND FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON-STREET; 
AND CHARLES S. FRANCIS, NEW-YORK. 





a-l//2.' 



PRELUDE. 



A POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA of the Sports and Pastimes of Youth, — 
a companion for all holydiiys,— The Boy's own Book, — unmixed with 
aught that was not highly interesting to himself, had long been a deside- 
ratum ; to SLipplj'^ which, he was usually led to become his own caterer, 
and purchase publications of an objectionable character, merely because 
dieir low price placed them within his reach. The present Work was an 
attempt to obviate this inconvenience, by enabling those, who had the 
guardianship of youth, to present their young proteges, in the form of a 
Holyday or Birthday Present, with a concentration of all that usuallr 
delights them, executed in such a manner as their own judgment would 
approve, and much more amusing and instructive to the juvenile mind, 
,thasi the cheap trash on which the hoarded shilling is usually expended* 
The event has fully justified the expectations of the Publishers ; few works 
have met with so flattering a reception, from the press and the public ; 
tlie whole of the first edition, which extended to three thousand copies, 
having been sold without advertisements, in little more than two months. 
The present edition contains many alterations and improvements : it is 
augmented, in bulli, by an extra half sheet ; and, in quantity of matter, 
nearly a sheet and a half, by an increase in the size of its pages : the 
articles have all been improved, and some of them re-written, and the 
volume is enriched witli many new engravings of superior design and 
execution. 



PRELUDE. 

A wider field than we have taken cannot well be imagined. Our 
plan embraces the amusements* of all minds, and of all seasons, — in win* 
ter and in summer, — at home and abroad ; the robust and the delicate, — 
the contemplative and the ingenious, — have each their tastes provided 
for. The sports and exercises of out-door enjoyment, — the pastimes. of a 
winter's fire-side, — ^and the recreation of science, — are copiously detail- 
ed in our pages, which have been printed in a close type, that we might 
be enabled to compress a whole library of sportful lore in the brief compass 
of one little volume. "We can honestly say, that no pains have been 
spared to do justice to our plan. We have attempted to please Seniors 
and Juniors,— no easy task; but our failure can only be partial, for 
should we be condemned by a few, we are sure that the many will be in 
oiir favor ; and that a host of advocates, appreciating our industry and 
oar motives, would cheerfully undertake, on our behalf, the task of a 
pleader. 

So far the London Preface. The American publishers have omitted a 
few articles, entirely useless on this side the Atlantic, as the extra expense 
would have debarred the more useful part from being in the hands of 
hundreds of Youths, who will find everything that will amuse them in our 
pi'esent volume. The articles omitted are, a long treatise on Chess, 
Singing Birds, Silk-Worms, &c. the insertion of which would have swell- 
ed the expense to double its present price, and given no real additional 
value to the Boy's own Book. 

Boston, November 1, 



CONTENTS, 



Paoe 

Games "vvith Marbles 9 

Games with Tots 13 

Games wtth Balls 15 

Sports of Agility and Speed 21 

Sports with Toys 25 

Miscellaneous Sports 29 

Deaf and Dumb Alphabet 39 

Archery 43 

Cricket 51 

Gymnastics 57 

Swimming 75 

Arithmetical Amusements 95 

Optical Amusements 109 

Chemical Amusements 125 

Draughts, or Checkers 139 

Feats of Legerdemain 149 



CONTENTS. 

Pack 

Tricks with Cards 195 

Paradoxes axd Puzzles 207 

Varieties 223 

The Riddleb 231 

Angling 263 

Rabbits 273 

Guinea Pigs 281 

Pigeons 283 

Fencing Md 



BOY'S OWN BOOK. 



MINOR SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 



Blithe Boyhood is the holyday of life ; 

The joyous spirits then impart a zest 

To tops and marbles, which man's graver toys, 

Though bought at golden prices, ever lack. 

We heartily trust tiiat our young readers will commence the perusal of 
dlir pages with pleasure equal to that which we feel in sitting down to write 
tJiera, and that we shall go pleasantly together through our work. The 
description of these Minor Sports, most especially, will, we are convinced, 
be an agreeable pdstime to us, and call up, from time to time, welcome 
reminiscences of those days of our boyhood, when we were a hero at " Ring- 
taw," and by no means a contemptible adversary even to the most accom- 
plished youthful players at " Fives." It will remind us of our happy holydays 
and favourite school-fellows ; — of feats of agility performed at " Follow my 
Leader," and trophies borne off in triumph at "Peg in the Ring;" — of 
those merry mornings, when the first glance of the sun awakened us, to 
snatch an additional half-hour for the play-ground, without encroaching on 
the allotted times for study ; — when, during " winter's surly reign," we 
joined the active {ew, who, instead of moping in great coats, or shivering 
round a fire, sallied forth into the clear, cold, invigorating air, and marking 
out goals and bounds in the crisp hoar frost that mantled the ground, souglit 



8 MINOR SPORTS. 

after, and found warmth and high spirits in a game of " Prisoner's Base,'* 
— or made the brows glow at lofty " Leap-frog," — or defied the frost by 
briskly plying the whij>top with eel-skin, and came in with glad hearts^ 
ruddy cheeks, perfect willingness, and the best of appetites, to our morning 
repast and subsequent studies. It will bring to our recollection also, those 
smooth and shady spots, where, when tlie noontide sun was midway in the 
heavens, in the sultry month of August, we alternately perused pleasant 
and instructive books, and played with our class-mates at " Increase- 
pound," or set up a pyramid of marbles for them to shoot at, or shot at one 
erected by one of them. It will carry us back in imagination to the hills 
and downs, where we flew our kites, — the loftiest soarers for miles around ; 
—of mishaps, through breaking of strings, and long races of rivalry after 
our falling favorites ; — to that cheerful parlour, in which, during the win- 
ter vacation, when mince-pies, plum-puddings, and young parties, were 
most abundant, — on Christmas-eve, or mirthful Twelfth-night, most espe- 
cially, — we bore a part in the exhilarating and harmless fireside s]>()rts of 
the season ; — to that dilapidated ruin, — the court of that mouldering castle, 
with a tall and stately elm rising from one of its corners, and ivy, apparently 
ages okl, tiie constant home and nestling-place of innumerable bir. which 
bedecked and supported the outward side of its walls, — the scene of our 
chief exploits at Fives; — to the garden walk, where our school-swing was 
erected, between two gigantic sister pear-trees ; — and, in brief, to all those 
places where we played the games which were the delight of our holydays i 
when a sportive bout at " Saddle my Nag," was in itself an ample recom- 
pense for the past two hours of study, employed in working an intricate 
(juestion in arithmetic — composing a theme on some difficult subject — ren- 
dering a portion of tlie Iliad into Latin hexameters, or a passage of Pope 
into French prose. We conceive that we are bringing no disgrace on our 
boyhood, by avowing that we deeply enjoyed the sports of the play-ground. 
The line of a talented writer, " A dunce at Syntax, but a dab at taw," has, 
by a thoughtless few, been converted into a proverb, and those who were 
most eminent for their activity and love of the usual amusements of youth 
out of school, have thus been unjustly stigmatized as inattentive students. 
The reverse, we have generally found to be the fact; for, we have often 
remarked, that the lads who led the sports in the play-ground, stood high in 
their classes in the school-room. " There is a time for all things," is a trite, 
hut, in this case, an appl'cable observation : the scholastic discipline wisely 
allots certain hours in the day for recreation ; they should be empi<)yed in 
liealthful and agreeable pastime, so as to render the boy prepared to return 
with mental vigour to his books ; — study should give a relish to sport, and 
sport to study. But while we recommend that the school-room should be 
forgotten on the play-ground, we wish to impress on our young readers tlie 
necessity of their forgetting the play -ground in the school-room. 



MINOR SPORTS. 11 

the vanquished is added to those of the victory thus, if my taw having 
ah*eady split twenty marbles, conquers another that has split twenty, my 
taw then becomes a conqueror of forty-one, — that is, twenty, its previous 
Bcore ; twenty, the vanquished taw's score, and one for the broken taw 
itself. In the west of England, the game of" The Conqueror" is also play- 
ed, with small, hard, variegated shells, which are found in old banks, and 
from which the snails, their former inhabitants, have disappeared. The 
ehell is held in the forefinger of the right hand, and its beak pushed vigo- 
rously against that of the adversai'y's ; the shell which breaks is, of course, 
conquered. 

ARCH-BOARD. 

This game, in some parts of England, is called " Nine-holes ;" it has 
various names, and is sometimes played with iron bullets instead of marbles*. 
The marbles are bowled at a board set upright, resembling a bridge, with 
nine small arches, all of them numbered ; if the marble strike against the 
sides of the arches, it becomes the property of the boy to whom the board 
belongs ; but, if it go through any one of them, the bowler claims a num- 
ber eqir sto the number upon the arch it passed through. We have seen 
the boards, in this game, marked above some of the arches with nihils, in 
this order :— 5, 0, 1, 2, 0, 3, 0, 4, 0. In some places, where there are no 
nihils on the board, and the numbers go beyond five, the bowler not only 
loses his marble, if it strike against the sides of the arches, but also gives 
the board-keeper a marble each time he bowls. 

RING-TAVyr. 

The rules of Ring-taw vary in different jjlaces ,* the following are the 
most general : — A circle is drawn, into which each party places as many 
marbles as may be agreed on. A line, called the ofhno', is then drawn at 
some distance, from which each in turn shoots at'^flle' ring. Shooting a 
marble out of the ring, entitles the shooter to go on again, and thus the 
ring may be sometimes cleared by a good player, before his companion or 
companions have a chance. After the first fire, the players return no more 
to the offing, but shoot, when their turn comes, from the place where theijp 
marbles rested on the last occasion. Every marble struck out of the ring, 
is won by the striking party ; but if the taw at any time remain in the ring, 
the player is not only out, but if he have, previously, in the course of the 
game, struck out any marbles, he must put them in the ring again. And 
if one player strike with his taw the taw of another, the player whose taw 
is so struck, is out ; and if he have, previously, shot any marbles out of the 
circle, he must hand them over to the party by whose taw his has been 
so struck. 



12 MINOR SPORTS. 

INCREASE-POUND. 

This is superior to any other game with marbles. It differs from " Ring^- 
taw'* in the following particulars : — If, previously to any marble or shoC 
being struck out of the ring or pound, the taw of one of the players be 
gti'uck by the taw of another, (except that of his partner,) or in case he shoot 
his taw within the pound, in either case, he puts a shot in the ring, and 
before either of the others play, shoots from the offing and continues in the 
game ; but if the first of these events occur after one or more shots have been 
struck out of the pound, if he have previously, during that game, obtained 
any shots himself, he hands them over to the party who has struck him, and 
also puts a shot in as before, previously to his shooting from the offing>; 
but if he have previously obtained no shots during the game, he is put out 
of the game entirely, or "killed," by his taw being so struck; and again, 
if after a shot or shots have been struck out of the pound, his taw get within 
it, (on the line is nothing,) he puts his shots, if he have obtained any, with an 
additional one, into the pound, and shoots from the offing ; but if he have 
not obtained a shot or shots after his taw so remains within the ring, " or 
gets fat," as it is called, he is " killed," and stands out for the remainder of 
the game. When there is only one marble left in the ring, the taw may then 
remain inside it, without being " fat" at this game. I'he players seldom 
put more than one marble each in the ring at first. 

THE PYRAMID. 

A small circle is drawn on the ground, within which, one player builds a 
|)yramid, by placing three marbles triangularly, and a fourth in the centre, 

on the top of tiiem. Any 
other player may then shoot 
at the pyramid, at an agreed 
distance, by giving, for each 
time of shooting, to the one 
who keeps the pyramid, a 
marble. If the shooter 
strike the pyramid with his 
taw, as many of tiie mar- 
bles composing the pyra- 
mid, as may be driven m\t 
_ of the circle, belong to the 

shooter, and the pyramid is 
constantly to be kept up 
complete by its owner. This is a good in-door game ; variety and addi- 
tional interest may be given to it, by each player taking the office of pyra^ 
mid-keeper, at stated intervals. 




MINOR SPORTS. 



IS 




GAMES WITH TOPS 



HUMMING-TOP. 

Humming-tops, of various sizes, are to be bought at the toy-shops ; verjp 
little art is necessary to use them. After the string is wound about the up- 
right piece, one end of it is taken in one hand, and the handle of the fork- 
piece in the other ; the string is then to be pulled off with force, and th& 
top is set up 

WHIP-TOP. 

This is an excellent amusement. The top is easily set up by twirling it 
with both hands on a smooth surface, and applying the whip with gentleness 
at first, increasing the vigour of the blows, as the top gets firm on its peg* 
There is a local variety of the whip-top, which is too 
singular for us to pass unnoticed. We allude to tha 
Colchester top, of which an engraving is presented ift 
the margin. Its construction is most simple, and, fojp 
spinning, it is said considerably to excel the tops 
made in the common form. The only games we 
have ever seen with whip-tops, are *' races" and 
"encounters;" in the former, the object is to flog 
Che top to a certain distance first ; in the latter, the tops are whipped against 
each other until one is knocked down. The est material for a whip, at this 
capital sport, is an eel-skin ; it far surpasses cord, or leather thongs. 




14 MINOR SPORTS. 



In this favorite game considerable dexterity may be acquired by prac- 
tice. About London, peg-tops are, in general, only used for the purpose 
of being spun, and taken up to " sleep," as it is called, in wooden spoons, 
which are sold at the toy-shops for that purpose ; but elsewhere, regular 
games at peg-top are played, in wliich the victors carry off capital steel 
pegs as trophies of their prowess at the sport. A circle, whose diameter is 
about a yard, is first drawn on a smooth piece of ground, (pavement is 
objectional for this game,) and several players surround it. One volunteers 
to commence ; he throws his top inside the circle, and the others are at 
liberty to cast theirs at it, so long as it remains within the ring ; the moment 
it rolls out, he may take it up, and peg at those which still remain inside, 
The object of each player being to split the tops of his companions, if he 
succeed in any case, he keeps the peg of the split top as the spoil of his 
victory. If either of the players do not cast his top within the ring, or if 
he attempt to take it out, or if he fail to set it spinning when he throws, 
or if it do not spin out, or after it ceases spinning, roll out of the circle, 
it is called " a dead top," and must be placed in the centre of the ring for 
the others to peg at. When it is knocked out again without being split, 
the player to whom it belongs, takes it up, and plays away as before. 
Sometimes half-a-dozen dead tops are driven out of the ring by one cast, 
without any of them being damaged, and indeed, if they be made of good 
box, it is but rarely that they split. A top with a long peg is best at this 
game, as it is more calculated to swerve out of the ring after it is spun j a 
top that sleeps after it is cast, runs the greatest danger, and those that sleep 
most, are heavy bodied tops with short blunt pegs. It is advisable to wind 
the cord round nearly three parts of the peg, as well as the top, and to use 
a button at the end instead of a loop. The Spanish 
^^ peg-top, of which we give a cut in the margin, is 

^^^^ made of fine mahogany, and tapered off less abruptly 

~^m ^w toward the peg than the English tops. The peg is 

=^^v /f -- - ^®^y short, of an uniform thickness, and rounded, 
^S=W^^^^i not pointed, at the end. These tops spin nearly up- 
•<r^- «5»^*^-^=-^ right, and for thrice the usual time ; it is unnecessary 
to throw them with any degree of force ; in fact, they 
epin best when set up under-handed ; so that, for playing on flooring©/ 
pavement, they are much superior to those made in the English fashion, 
although, for the same reason, totally unfit for " Peg in the ring." The 
forms of English peg-tops, as well as those of humming-tops, and the 
common whip-tops, are so well known, tliat it would be useless for us to 
ofi'er engravings of them. 



MINOR SPORTS. 



15 




GAMES WITH BALLS. 

The games with Balls are numerous and excellent ; Cricket is a sport of 
inch importance, as to claim a separate place in our work, but nearly all the 
Other games witli Balls, our young readers will find under the present head- 



Fives may be played either single-handed or with partners. A good 
Trail must be selected, witli a sound flat piece of ground in front of it ; a 
line must be drawn, about three feet from the ground, on the wall ; another 
on the ground, about two yards from the wall ; and a third, describing 
three sides of a square, of which the wall itself will be a fourth, on the 
ground from the wall, to mark the bounds. The players toss up for innings ; 
the winner begins by dapping his ball on the ground, and striking it against 
the wall, above the line, and so that it may rebound far enough to fall 
outside the line on the ground ; the other player then strikes it, in the 
«ame manner, either before it has touched the ground, or dapped, (i. e.) 
hopped from the ground, more than once ; the first player then prepare^ 
to receive and strike it at its rebound ; and thus the game goes on, until 
one of the players fail to strike the ball in his turn, before it has hopped 



16 MINOR SPORTS. 

more than once, strike it below tlie mark, or drive it out of bounds. If the 
party Avho is in do neither of these, he loses his innings ; if the otlier, then 
tlie in-player reckons one, on each occasion, towards the game, which is 
fifteen. Wlien partners play, the rules are precisely the same ; each side 
keeping up the ball alternately, and the partners taking turns for innings, 
©s one of the other side gets out. After the l)all is first played out, on each 
occasion, it is not necessary to make it rebound beyond the ground line, 
%vhich is used only to make the player who is in, give out the ball fairly in 
tlie first instance : that is, when he first takes his innings, or when he plays 
out the ball again, after winning a point. 

NINE-HOLES, OR HAT-BALL. 

Near a wall where the ground is level, dig nine, or a lesser number of 
holes, according to the number of players, large enough for a ball to be 
bowled in without difficulty. Number them, and let each player be allotted 
a number, by chance or choice, as it may be agreed. A line is drawn 
about five yards from the holes, at which one of the players places him- 
self, and bowls the ball into one of the holes. The player to whom tlie 
hole, into which the ball is bowled, belongs, picks it up as quickly as h» 
can, and endeavours to strike one of the others with it; (the latter all run 
ofi" as soon as they perceive that the ball is not for themselves;) if the 
thrower miss his aim, he loses a point, and is called " a fifer," and it is his 
turn to bowl : if, however, he strike another, he loses nothing ; but the 
party so struck, in case he fail to hit another with the ball, becomes " a fifer," 
and it is his turn to bowl. Five or six may be struck in succession, and 
the ball may be kept up, no matter how long, until a miss be made, when 
the party so missing loses a point, and bowls. It is also allowed, for on© 
player to accept the ball from another, and run the risk of striking a third : 
thus, if A stand close behind B, and C have the ball in front of B, A may 
signify by motions that he will take the ball, which is then thrown toward 
him by C ; he catches it, and endeavours to strike B before he can run 
away ; if he miss, he loses a point, and bowls. The second bowling is con- 
ducted precisely as the first; but he who bowls three times without passing 
the ball into a hole, loses a point, and if he have lost one before, becomes 
** a tenner;" he must still go on, until he succeed in putting the ball into 
a hole ; it is his own fault if he bowl into that which belongs to himself 
A party who misses his aim a! second time becomes " a tenner;" he who 
loses a third point, " a fifteener ;" and when four points are lost, the party 
stands out. The game goes on until all the players are out but one ; the 
latter wins the game. One of the others then takes the ball in his left 
liand, places his face toward the wall, and throws the ball over the right 
ehoulder as far as lie can. The player who has won stands at the spot 
where the ball first touches the ground, or, if it be not immediately behind 




MINOR SPORTS. 17 

the party who has thrown it, a line is drawn from the place where the ball 

daps, to a spot behind the thrower. Thus, suppose the thrower be at a, 
the ball falls at b, a line is drawn to c. The 
winner then throws the ball, from c, at the 
loser's back, three times, as hard as he 
pleases. The other losers throw in the same 
manner, one after another, and the winner 
has his three balls at each of their backs, 
from the spot where their balls respectively 
first touch the ground, or in a line with it, 
as above stated, and illustrated by the dia- 
gram in the margin. 
n the vicinity of London, this game is called " Hat-ball," on account of 

the players using their hats, instead of digging holes, and the ball is tossed 

into the hats, instead of being bowled into the holes. 

CATCH-BALL. 

This is very similar to the preceding game. Instead of bowling the 
ball into holes, it is thrown in the air, and the name of the player, for 
whom it is intended, called out by the tlu'ower. If it be caught, before it 
has twice touched the ground, by the player so called on, he loses no point, 
but throws it up again, and calls upon whom he pleases to catch it. If it 
be not cauglit indue time, he whose name is called must endeavour to 
strike one of the others with it; if he miss, he loses a point, and has his 
throw up. The remainder of the game, the number of points, and the 
losers' punishment, are all precisely as in Nine-holes ; of the two, it is the 
better game. 

FOOT-BALL. 

A match is made between two sets of players of equal numbers ; a large 
ball made of light materials, — a blown bladder, cased with leather, is the 
best, — is placed between them, and the object of each party is to kick the 
ball across the goal of the other, and to prevent it from passing their own. 
The party, across whose goal the ball is kicked, loses the game. The game 
is commenced between the two goals, which are about a hundred yards 
asunder. 

Foot-ball was formerly much in vogue in England, though, of late years, 
it seems to have fallen into disrepute, and is but little practised. At what 
period the game of Foot-ball originated, is uncertain ; it does not, however, 
appear among the popular exercises before the reign of Edward the Third, 
and then it w^as prohibited by a public edict; not, perhaps, from any par- 
ticular objection to the sport itself, but because it co-operated, with other 
favorite amusements, to impede the progress of Archery. 
B 



18 MINOR SPORTS. 

The rustic boj'S use a blown bladder, without the covering of leather, for 
a foot-ball, putting peas and horse-beans inside, which occasion a rattling 
as it is kicked about. 

GOFF, OR BANDY-BALL. 

In the northen parts of the kingdom, Golf is much practised. It answers 
to a rustic pastime of the Romans, which they played with a ball of leather, 
stuffed with feathers, and the Goff-ball is composed of the same materials to 
this day. In the reign of Edward the Third, the Latin name " Cambuca,'* 
was applied to this pastime, and it derived the denomination, no doubt, from 
the crooked club, or bat, with which it was played ; the bat was called a 
" Bandy," from its being bent, and hence is frequently called, in English, 
" Bandy-ball." 

Goff, according to the present modification of the game, is performed with 
a bat, the handle of which is straight, and usually made of ash, about four 
feet and a half in length ; the curvature is affixed to the bottom, faced with 
horn, and backed with lead. The ball is a little one, but exceedingly hard, 
being made with leatlier, and stuffed with feathers. There are, generally, 
two players, who have each of them his bat and ball. The game consists in 
driving the ball into certain holes made in the ground; he who achieves 
which tlie soonest, or in the fewest number of strokes, obtains the victory. 
The Goff-lengths, or the spaces between the first and last holes, are some- 
times extended to the distance of two or three miles ; the number of inter- 
vening holes is optional, but the balls must be struck into the holes and not 
beyond them. When four persons play, two of them are sometimes part- 
ners, and have but one ball, which they strike alternately, but every one 
has his own bandy. Goff was a fashionable game among the nobility ajt 
the commencement of the seventeenth century, and it was one of the ex- 
ercises with which Prince Henry, eldest son to James the First, occasionally 
amused himself. 

STOOL-BALL. 

Stool-ball is frequently mentioned by the writers of the three last cen* 
turies, but without any proper definition of the game. Doctor Johnson tells 
us, it is a play where balls are driven from stool to stool, but does not say io 
what manner, or to what purpose. It consists in simply setting a stool upon 
the ground, and one of tlie players taking his place before it, while his an- 
tagonist, standing at a distance, tosses a ball with the intention of striking 
the stool ; it is the business of the former to prevent this by beating it away 
with the hand, reckoning one to the game for every stroke of the ball ; if, 
on the contrary, it should be missed by the hand, and touch the stool, tlie 
players change places ; tlie conqueror at tliis game is he who strikes tlie ball 



MINOR SPORTS. 



19 



most times before it touches the stool. In some parts of the country, a cer- 
tain number of stools are set up in a circular form, at a distance from each 
other, and every one of them is occupied by a single player ; when the ball 
is struck, which is done as before, with tJie hand, they are every one of them 
obliged to alter his situation, running in succession from stool to stool, and if 
he who threw the ball can regain it in time to strike any one of the players 
before he reaches the stool to which he is running, he takes his place, and 
the person touched must throw the ball, until he can, in like manner, return 
to the circle. 

TRAP, BAT, AND BALL. 



With the form of the trap, our young readers are, doubtless, acquainted ; 
It will be only necessary for us to give the laws of the game. l\vo bounda- 
ries are equally placed , at a great dis- 
tance from the trap, between which, 
it is necessary lor the ball to pass, 
when struck by the batsman ; if it fall 
outside either of them, he loses his 
iinnings. Innings are tossed up for, 
and the player who wins, places tbo 
ball in the spoon of the trap, touches 
the trigger with the bat, and, as the 
ball hops from the trap, strikes it as 
far as he can . One of the other play- 
ers (who may be fiom two to hajf-dbr 
dozen) endeavours to catch it. If lie 
do so before it reaches the ground, 
or hops more than once, or if the 
stJ'iker miss the bail when he aims at 
it, or hits the trigger more than twice 
without striking the ball, he loses his 
innings, and the next in order, which must previously be agi'eed on, takes 
bis place. Should the ball be fairly struck, and not caught, as we have 
stated, the out-player, into whose hands it comes, bowls i( from the place 
where he picks it up, at the trap ; which, if he hit, the striker is out. If he 
miss it, the striker counts one toward the game, which may be any number 
decided on. There is also a practice in some places, when the bowler has 
sent in the ball, of the striker's guessing the number of bat's lengths it is 
from the trap; if he guess within the real numl)er, he reckons that number 
toward his game; but if he guess more than there really are, he loses his 
iJmings It is not necessary to make the game in one inning. 




20 MINOR SPORTS. 

NORTHERN-SPELL. 

Northern-spell is played with a trap, and the ball is stricken with a bat, 
or stout stick, at the pleasure of the players, but the latter is most com- 
monly used. The performance of this pastime does not require the atten- 
dance of either of the parties in the field to catch or stop the ball, for the 
contest between them is simply, who shall strike it to the greatest distance 
in a given number of strokes ; the length of each stroke is measured, before 
tlie ball is returned, by means of a cord made fast at one end, near the 
ti'ap, the other end being stretched into the field by a person stationed there 
for that purpose, who adjusts it to tne ball, wherever it may be; the cord is 
divided into yards, which are properly numbered in succession, so that the 
person at the bottom of the ground can easily ascertain the distance of each 
stroke by the number of yards, which he calls to the players, who place it to 
ti^ir account, and the ball is thrown back. This pastime possesses but lit- 
tle variety, and is by no means so amusing to the bystanders as Trap-ball. 

ROUNDERS. 

In the west of England this is one of the most favorite sports with the 
bat and ball. In the nietropolis, boys play a game very similar to it, called 
!• seder. In rounders, the players divide into two equal parties, and chance 
decides which shall have first innings. Four stones 
or posts are placed firom twelve to twenty yards asun- 
b d der, as a, b, c, d, in the margin; another is put at e; one 

of the party which is out, who is called the pecker or 
^ feeder, places himself at e. He tosses the ball gently 

toward a, on the right of which one of the in-party 
places himself, and strikes the ball, if possible, with his 
bat. If he miss three times, or if the ball, when struck, fail behind a, or be 
caught by any of the players, who are all scattered about the field except 
o«e who stands behind a, he is out, and another takes his place. If none of 
these events take place, on striking the ball he drops the bat, and runs to- 
ward ft, or, if he can, to c, d, or even to a again. If, however, the feeder, 
or any of the out-players who may happen to have the ball, strike him with 
it in his progress from a to b,b to c, c to d, or d to a, he is out. Supposing 
he can only get to b, one of his partners takes the bat, and strikes at the ball 
in turn; while the ball is passing from the feeder to a, if it be missed, or after 
it ia struck, the first player gets to the next or a further goal, if possible, with- 
out being struck. If he can only get to c, or d, the second runs to 6, only, 
or c, as the case may be, and a third player begins; as they get home, that 
ifi, to a, they play at the ball in rotation, until they all get out; then, of 
course, the out-players take their places. 



MINOR SPORTS. 



21 




SPORTS OF AGILITY AND SPEED, 

Many of the previous sports with balls and tops, are in part games of 
agility and speed, and so also are several of those which will be found 
among the Miscellaneous Minor Sports ; but the following pastimes are 
exclusively games either of speed or agility, for which no implements are 
necessary, 

LEAP-FROG. 

This is a most excellent pastime. It should be played in a spacious place, 
out of doors if possible, and the more there are engaged in it, provided they 
be of the same height and agility, the better is the sport. We will suppose 
a dozen at play : — Let eleven of them stand in a row, about six yards apart, 
with all their faces in one direction, arms folded, or their hands resting on 
their thighs, their elbows in, and their heads bent forward, so that the chin 
of each rests on his breast, the right foot advanced, the back a little bent, 
the shoulders rounded, and the body firm. The last begins the sport by 
taking a short run, placing his hands on the shoulders of the nearest player, 
and leaping with their assistance (of course, springing with his feet at the 
eame time) over his head, as represented in the cut. Having cleared the 
first, he goes onto the second, third, fourth, fifth, &c. in succession, and as 
speedily as possible. When he has gone over the last, he goes to the proper 
distance, and places himself in position for all the players to leap over him 
in their turn. The first over whom he passed, follows him over the second, 
tliird, fourth, &c. ; and when he has gone over, the one who begun the 
game places himself in like manner for the others to jump over him. The 
fiiird follows the second, and so on until the parties ai'e tired. 



22 MINOR SPORTS. 

The manner cf playing Leap-Frog about London is different, and as we 
think, much inferior in safety, appearance, and amusement : — A lad places 
himself with his hands on his knees, his body nearly doubled, and his side, 
instead of his back, turned toward the leapers, who, with a short run, take 
their leap at some distance from the lad who is to be vaulted over ; he who 
takes his leap the farthest off, is reckoned the best player This, it may be 
readily imagined, is by no means so lively as the real game of Leap-Frog, 
which we have above described. The boy, who is to be leaped over, re» 
i?eives the greater shock from the jumpers ; and he is in more danger of b©^ 
ing thrown down by, or having a blow on his head from, their knees. 

prisoners' base. 

Prisoners' Base is truly a capital game for cold weatlier. The best niim- 
bei^ to play at it is six or eight on each side, but there is no objection to more 
or fewer players." The choice of partners is decided by chance ; a line, ten 
or twelve yards in length, is drawn about a dozen yards from a wall ; othelf" 
lines are drawn at each end of the first, reaching thence to the wall, and thfe 
tliird from the middle of the first line to the wall ; one party takes possession 
of the bounds on one side of this middle, and the other set of players takes 
the bounds on the other side of it. Two prisons are also marked in a linfe 
with each other, at from one to two hundred yards (as convenience will per* 
mit) from the front of the bounds ; the prison belonging to one party must be 
opposite the bounds of the other. The game is now^ commenced by a player 
from one side running out mid-way between the bounds and prisons ; a 
player from the other side immediately follows, and he may be pursued by 
one of his adversaries, M^ho in like manner may be followed by a player 
from the side which began the game, and so on ; both parties being at liberty 
to send out as many as they think fit. The object of each player is to come 
up with, or intercept and touch any player of the opposite side, who has 
left the bounds before him ; he is not at liberty to touch any that have 
started after him, it being their privilege, on the contrary, if they can, to 
touch him before he can get back within his bounds again. A player is 
allowed to touch one of the opposite party only each time he quits bounds, 
and after having touched an adversary, he is exempt from being touched on 
his return to bounds. Every player who is touched, goes to the prison 
belonging to his party, where he must remain until one of his own side 
(who must start from bounds after the prisoner has been within the line of 
the prison) be able to reach him, without being touched in his run from 
bounds to prison, by any of the opposite party who may have left their 
bounds after him. When thus released, neither he nor the player who has 
relieved him is to touch or be touched in their return to bounds again. The 
game is won by that side which has all the players of the other in prison at 
tlie same time. 



MINOR SPORTS. 23 

SADDLE MY NAG. 

Two players toss up for choice of partners ; six or eight on each side is 
the best number : after choosing, the two leaders toss up for innings, he who 
loses then ranoes himself and his associates in the following manner : — One 
plciyer places himself almost upright, with his hands resting against a wall 
or tree, a second puts his head against the skirts of the first, the third 
against the skirt of the second, and so on until they are all ranged. They 
must either hold by the trowsers of the player who is before them, cross 
tlieir arms on their breasts, or lean them on their knees. One of the win- 
ning party now begins by taking a run, placing his hands upon the back of 
the outer player on the other side, and leaping as far forward on the range 
as he possibly can, in order to afford room for his partners behind him, 
who follow iii succession, until all are on the backs of the other party. If 
tliey can all i euiain on without touching the ground with the hand or anv 
other part, while the leader counts twenty, or if any of the other party sink 
fjeneatli the weight, or touch the ground with their hands or knees to support 
ti^emseh es, the riders keep their innings, and go on again. If on the eon- 
trary, or in case there be not room enough for them to leap on, or they cannot 
ke(>j) on the backs of those who are on before them, they lose, and the 
otlier party i:>ecome riders, and they nags. 

PUSS IN THE CORNER. 

This is a very simple, but at the same time, a very lively and amusinff 
game. It is played by five only ; and the place chosen for the sport should 
be a s(juare coiut or yard with four corners, or any place where there are 
four trees or posts, about equi-distant from each other, and forming the four 
points of a scjuare. Each of these points or corners is occupied by a play- 
er ; the fifth, who is called Puss, stands in the centre. The game now com- 
mences ; the players exchange corners in all directions : it is the object of 
the one who stands out, to occupy any of the corners which may remain 
vacant for an instant during the exchanges. When he succeeds in so doing, 
that player who is left without a corner becomes the Puss. It is to be 
observed that if A and B attempt to exchange corners, and A gets to B's 
corner, l)ut B fails to reach A's before the player who stands out gets 
there, it is B and not A who becomes Puss. 

WARNING. 

This may be played by any number, from ten to a hundred. One begins 
the game by standing within a line, running parallel for a considerable 
length with, and about three feet from a wall, and repeating the following 
words, — "Warning once, warning twice, warning three times over; a 
bushel of wheat, a bushel of rye, when the cock crows, out jump I ! — 



24 7.IIN0R GAMES. 

Cock-a-doodle-doo I — Warning !" He then runs out, and touches the first 
he can overtake, who must return to bounds with him. These two then 
(first crying " Warning" only) join hands, and each of tliem endeavours 
to touch another ; he also returns to bounds, and at the next sally joins hand^ 
with the other two. Every player who is afterward touched by either of the 
outside ones, does the like, until the whole be thus touched and taken. It 
is not lawful to touch an out-player after the line is broken, either accident- 
ally, or by the out-players attacking it, which they are permitted to do. 
Immediately a player is touched, the line separates, and the out-players 
endeavour to catch those belonging to it, who are compelled to carry those 
who capture them, on their backs, to bounds. When three are touched, 
he who begins the game is entitled to join the out-players. 

FOLLOW MY LEADER, 

Without a bold and active leader this sport is dull and monotonous ; with 
one possessing the necessary qualifications it is quite the contrary. Any 
number may play at it. A leader is fixed on, and the other players range 
tliemselves in a line behind him. He commences the sport, by some feat 
of agility, such as leaping", hopping, or climbing, and his followers then 
attempt to perform it in succession. He then goes to another trial of skill ; 
the others, or so many of them as are able to do so, fbllow his example, and 
thus the sport proceeds until the parties think fit to cease. The most nim- 
ble and active should, of course, be chosen for a leader ; he should perform 
feats of such difficulty as to render the sport interesting, at the same time 
avoiding such as he knows can only be undertaken by himself, or by one or 
two of his followers. If one boy can perform a feat, which those wlio are 
placed before him in rank fail in attempting, he takes precedence of them 
until he is, in like manner excelled by any of those who are behind him. 



This is a sport of speed. Six or eight is the best number to play at it. 
One volunteers to be the player, who is called Touch; it is the object of 
tlie other players to run from and avoid him. He pursues them all ; or, if 
he think fit, singles out an individual, and follows until he comes up with 
and touches him. The player so overtaken becomes Touch, and then 
endeavours to get near enough to lay his hand upon one of the rest. This 
is an active and amusing game for boys in cold weather. It is sometimes 
called Touch-iron or Touch wood ; in these cases, the players are safe 
only while they touch iron or wood, as may be previously agreed. They 
are liable to be touched only when running firom one piece of wood oi 
iron to another. 



MINOR SPORTS. 



25 




SPORTS WITH TOYS. 

The Sports with Toys are very numerous ; those which are most usual in 
the play-ground are with the kite, the hoop, the sucker, tlie pea-shooter, and 
two or three otiiers ; of each of which we offer bur readers a description* 

THE POP-GUN. 

The Pop-gun is made of a piece of wood, from which the pith has been 
taken; a rammer must be made, with a handle of a proper length, which 
should have a shoulder to prevent the slender or ram-rod point going the 
Entire length of the gun ; the pellets are made of moistened tow, or brown 
paper. Put one into one end of the gun, push it with the rod to tiie other, 
and then placing a second pellet at the end where the first was inserted, push 
lliat toward the opposite end, and it will drive the first pellet out with great 
force. Pop-guns are also made with quills, the pellets for which are cut by 
the quills out of slices of raw potato. 



THE SLING. 

Cut out an oval piece of leather, about two inches wide at the broadest 
part ; at each of the ends, fasten a leathern thong, or piece of cord, — one of 
tliese cords, or thongs, should be longer than the other ; place a stone in the 
broadest part of the leather, twist the longest thong twice or thrice round 
your hand, hold the other lightly between your tliumb and fore-finger, whirl 
it round several times, let go the shorter thong, and the stone will be shot to 3 
great distance. Small lumps of clay kneaded to the point of a pliant switch, 
may be jerked to a height scarcely credible. 



26 



MINOR SPORTS. 



THE PEA-SHOOTER. 



By means of a tube of tin or copper, a pea may be propelled from the 
moutli, by the mere force of the breath, to a very considerable distance* 
The natives of Macouslie, with a cane tube, about twelve feet long, propel 
arrows with their breath, with such force and dexterity, as to bring down 
different sorts of feathered game. 




THE KITE. 

To construct the Kite, yd*« must, in the first place, procure a straight 
lath of deal for the upriglit or straighter, and a thin hoop, or a pliant piece 
of hazel for the bow or bender. Fasten the bender 
(i by its centre, witJi string, to the upright, within a 

little distance of its top ; then notch the two ends of 
the bow, and fasten them to the upright by a string, 
which is made fast at each of the ends, and turned 
once round the upright, as a, 6, c ; the string must 
then be carried up to the junction of the bow and 
straighter, and made fast at c?, and thence to a ; 
from a, it must pass through a notch at c, up to c / 
then down to /, where it must be tied in a notch cut 
for that purpose, and up to a again. Your skeleton 
being now complete, your next task is to paste a 
sufficient quantity of paper together to cover it, and 
afford' a hem to be pasted over the outer edgesb 
Next, bore two holes in the straighter, one about a fifth of the whole length 
from the top, and the other rather less from the bottom ; run through these^ 
and fasten, by a knot at tlie two ends, your belly-band string, to which tlie 
ball of string, by which the kite is flown, is afterward fixed. The wings arfe 
made of several sheets of writing paper, half cut in slips, rolled up, and fas* 
tened at a and c. The tail, which should be from ten to fifteen times the 
length of the kite, is made by tying bobs of writing paper, four times folded^ 
about an inch and a half broad, and three inches long, at intervals of three 
inches and a quarter, on a string, with a large bob, similar to the wings, 
at the bottom of it. Your kite is now complete, and fit to be flown in tlie 
usual manner. 

It is well known that the celebrated Doctor Franklin once let up a kiflfe 
previous to his entering the water to bathe, and then, lying on his back. 
Buffered himself to be drawn across a stream by its power. The master of 
a respectable academy at Bristol, among whose pupils we have enjoyed 
many pleasant hours in the pastime of flying kites, has lately succeeded in 
travelling along the public roads, ( we believe, from Bristol to London,) with 



MINOR SPORTS. 



27 



amazing speed, in a carriage drawn by kites, in the most safe and accurate 
manner possible, notwithstanding the variations of the wind and the crook* 
6dness of the roads. 




THE THAUMATROPE. 

This very amusing toy is made and exliibited in the following manners 
Cut out a circular piece of card, to which fasten six bits of string, as in tbe 

cut. Draw on one side of it a 
y-^ "^^ y' ~""\ figure with balls, and on the other, 

, -.v/ ^ x^ ® \ „^ / \ ^^^ balls only, as represented in 

-sv Xl ^JS,^ aL^ I* \ ^^^ margin; then taking one of 

1 ^ 2Sfi|^^^ •t'V I • •) the strings between the forefinger 

and thumb of each hand, close to 
the card, twist or twirl it rapidly 
round, and according to which 
pair of strings you use, the figure will seem to be tossing two, three, of 
four balls in different directions. Various cards and devices may be used< 
for instance, you may draw a bird on one side, and a cage on the others 
by only using the centre pieces of string, the bird will seem to be in thfe 

cage or aviary; a horse on one 
side, and a jockey on the other, as 
in the cut, (taking care to revere 
the figures, or draw them upsidfc 
down to each other,) and by using 
the diiferent pairs of strings, yon 
may cause the rider to appear up^ 
on, leaping under, or by the sidfe 
of the horse, as you please. For 
Other designs, we suggest a tight rope and a dancer ; a body and a head ; a 
CSJidle and a flame ; a picture and its frame, &c. 

BATTLEDORE AND SHUTTLECOCK. 

Battledores and Shuttlecocks are to be obtained cheap at all the book* 
stores. The game is played by two persQ^s, who, with the battledores, strike 
the shuttlecock to and fro between them. 

Shuttlecock is a boyish sport of long standing. It appears to have been a 
fashionable game among grown persons in the reign of James the First, and 
is mentioned as such in an old comedy of that time. Among the anecdotes 
related of Prince Henry, son to James the First, is the following : " His 
Highness playing at shuttlecock with one far taller than himself, and hitting 
him, by chance, with the shuttlecock upon the forehead, * This is,' quoth he, 
* the encounter of David with Goliah.' " 




28 MINOR SPORTS. 

THE SUCKER. 

Cut a circular piece out of stout leather ; bore a hole through its centre, 
and pass a string, with a knot to prevent the end escaping, through this 
hole. Soak the leather well in water before you use it ; when thoroughly 
eoaked, place the leather on a stone, press it well down witli your foot, 
and then taking the string, you may, by your sucker, raise a considerable 
weight. 

THE HOOP. 

Every body knows how to trundle the Hoop in the usual way ; several 
pairs of tin squares are sometimes nailed to the inner part of the hoop, which 
produce, in the opinion of some lads, an agreeable jingle. In some parts of 
England, boys drive their hoops one against the other, and the player whose 
hoop falls in these encounters, is conquered. 

THE W^ATCH-SPRING GUN. 

Neatly cut a bit of wood, about four inches long, into the form of the stock 
of a pistol or gun ; scoop a groove in tlie upper part of it ; in this groove 
place a large quill, open at both ends, fasten it on with waxed thread, and 
let it project beyond the point of the stock and reach as far as the middle of 
it ; next, procure an old watch-spring, which may be bought cheap at a 
watch-maker's, cut off a piece of it about as long as the quill, bend it back- 
ward, and tie one end of it firmly to the upper part or but-end of the 
stock. Then bore a small hole through the middle of the stock about 
an inch from the mouth of the quill ; cut a pin in two, fasten one half of 
it, by its head, to a bit of thread, the other end of which fasten to the 
thread that binds on the spring ; this is the trigger, and your gun is complete. 
To use it, place a little arrow, or a shot, in the groove between the mouth of 
the quill and the hole in the stock ; put the pin through this hole, and bend 
back the spring so that the pin may catch it ; take the toy in your right 
hand, pull the trigger out with the fore-finger, and the spring being thus re- 
leased, will drive the shot, or arrow, through tlie quill to a considerable dis- 
tJince. If you use arrows, you may shoot at a little butt or target. 

CAT AND MOUSE. 

This is a French sport. The toy with which it is played consists of two 
flat bits of hard avooJ, the edges of one of which are notched. The game is 
played by two only; they are both blindfolded, and tied to the ends of a 
long string, which is fastened in the centre to a post, by a loose knot, so as to 
play easily in the evolutions made by the players. The party who plays the 
mouse occasionally scrapes the toys together, and the other, who plays the 
cat, atti'acted by the sound, endeavours to catch him. 



MINOR SPORTS. 



29 




MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS, 

Under this head we intend to describe a variety of amusing sports and 
recreations, which could not, in strictness, be inserted among any of the 
preceding classes. 

blind-ma;n's buff. 

This popular, old-fashioned, and delightful pastime, is so well known, as 
to render any description of it unnecessary. There is, however, a variation 
of it called Shadow Buff, which is less known, but equally amusing, A 
large piece of white linen is suspended smoothly at one end of a room ; at a 
little distance from it, Buffy, with his face toward the linen, is seated on a 
low stool. Directly in a line, and about a yard behind him, a table is placed 
with a candle on it ; all the other lights must be extinguished. The players 
then walk one by one, between the table and Buffy, (who must not turn hia 
head,) limping, hopping, and grimacing as they please, so as to distort theif 
shadow? on the linen. If Buffy can tell correctly to whom any shadow 
belongs, (guessing once only for each person,) the player, whom he so dia* 
covers, takes his olace. 

BASTE THE BEAR. 

Lots are drawn for the first bear, who takes his seat on a stone, with oiw 
end of a rope, about three yards long, in his hand, the other end of which if 
held by the bear's master. The other players attack the bear with twisted 
handkerchiefs, and the master endeavours to touch one of them : if he can 



30 MINOR SPORTS. 

do so without letting the rope go, or pulling the bear from his seat, the play- 
er so touched takes the place of the bear. Each bear has the privilege of 
choosing his own master ; being bear once, or even oftener, does not exon!&- 
rate a player, if fairly touchedj from becoming so again. 

DICK, DUCK, AND DRAKE. 

From this game comes the proverb which is frequently applied to a spend»^ 
thrift. " He is making ducks and drakes of his money." It is played by 
skimming, or what boys call shying, bits of slate or flat stones along the sui'- 
face of a river or pond. If the thing thrown touches the water and rebounds 
once, it is a dick ; if twice, a duck ; if thrice, a drake. He who makes his 
elate or pebble rebound the greatest number of times, wins the game. 



Sliding is one of the diversions ascribed to young men of London by 
Fitzstephen, and, as far as one can judge from his description of the sport, 
it differed not in the performance from the method used by the boys of our 
own time. He mentions another kind of pastime upon the ice, which is even 
now practised by boys in several parts of England j his words are to this 
effect : ** Others make a seat of ice, as large as a mill-stone, and having 
placed one of their companions upon it, they draw him along, when it some* 
times happens, that moving on slippery places, they all fall down headlong." 

Sledges are, now-a-days, also used, which being extended from a centre 
by means of a strong rope, those who are seated in them are moved round 
with great velocity, and form an extensive circle. Sledges of this kind were 
set upon the Thames in the time of a hard frost at the commencement of the 
last century, as the following couplet, taken from a song written upon that 
occasion, plainly proves. 

" While the rabble in sledges run giddily round. 
And nought but a circle of folly is found." 



Skating is by no means a modern pastime, and probably the inventfon 
proceeded rather from necessity than the desire of amusement. It is a 
boast of a northern chieftain, that he could traverse the snow upon skates of 
wood. Strutt states that he cannot by any means ascertain at what time 
ekating made its first appearance in England, but that som.e traces of such aij 
exercise are found in the thirteenth century ; at which period, according to 
Fitzstephen, it was customary in the winter, when the ice would bear them, 
for the young citizens of London to fasten the leg bones of animals under the 
fioles of their feet, by tying them round their ankles, and then taking a pole 
shod with iron into their hands, they pushed tliemselves forward by striking 



MINOR SPORTS. Si 

It against the ice, and moved with celerity, equal, says the autlior, to a bird 
flying through the air, or an arrow from a cross-bow ; but some allowance^ 
we presume, must be made for the poetical figure : he then adds, " at times^^ 
two of them thus fui nished agree to set opposite one to another at a great dis- 
tance ; they meet, elevate their poles, attack and strike each other, whea 
one or both of them fall, and not without some bodily hurt, and even aftey 
their fall are carried a great distance from each other by the rapidity of the 
motion, and whatever part of the head comes upon the ice it is sure to be 
laid bare." 

The wooden skates shod with iron or steel, which are bound about the 
feet and ankles like the talares of tlie Greeks and Romans, were, most pro- 
bably, brought into England from the low countries, where they are said to 
have originated, and where, it is well known, they are almost universally 
used by persons of both sexes when the season permits. Some modern 
writers have asserted that " the metropolis of Scotland has produced more 
instances of elegant skaters than perhaps any other county whatever; and 
die institution of a skating club has contributed not a little to the improve- 
ment of this amusement." Strutt, in noticing this, observes that when the 
Serpentine river in Hyde Park was frozen over, he saw four gentlemer^ 
there dance, if the expression may be allowed, a double minuet, in skates 
with as much ease and perhaps more elegance, than in a ball-room ; others 
again, by turning and winding Avith much adroitness, have readily in suc- 
cession described upon the ice the form of all the letters in the alphabet, 

SV\^1NGING. 

The construction of the swing is simple : two ropes of equal lengths, are 
to be suspended from any branch or cross piece of timber, of adequatB 
Strength ; at the bottom of these ropes a seat is to be securely fastened, and 
the party who takes the seat must be propelled by another on the ground ; a 
tope for this purpose must be fastened to the back part of the seat. 

FRENCH AND ENGLISH. 

This game is played by two parties, whose numbers are equal ; they all 
take hold of a rope, and the object of each party is to pull tliose belonging to 
the other across a chalk line on the ground, by means of the rope. When 
all the players on one side are thus pulled over or made prisoners, the other 
party wins the game. This is a very lively sport, any number may join in 
It, and it affords capital exercise and much amusement. 

TIP-CAT. 

Tip-cat, or, perhaps, more properly, the game of cat, is a rustic pastime 
well known in many parts of the kingdom. Its denomination is derived 
from a piece of wood, called a cat, with which it is played ; the cat is about 
six inches in length, and an inch and a half or two inches in diameter, and 



32 MI^'OR SPORTS 

diminished from the middle to both the ends, in the shape of a double cone| 
by this curious contrivance, the places of the trap and ball are at once sup- 
plied, for when the cat is laid upon the ground, the player, with his cudgel^ 
jtrikes it smartly, it matters not at which end, and it will rise with a rotatory 
motion, high enough for hina to beat it away as it falls, in the same man- 
aier as he Avould a ball. 

There are various methods of playing the game of cat, but we shall only 
notice the two that follow. The hrst is exceedingly simple, and consists ia 
making a large ring upon tlip ground, in the middle of which the striker 
takes his station ; his business is to beat the cat over the ring. If he fail in 
^o doing he is out, and another player takes his place : if he be successful, 
he judges with his eye the distance the cat is driven from the centre of the 
ring, and calls for a number, at pleasure, to be scored toward his game ; if 
tile number demanded be found, upon measurement, to exceed the same 
number of lengths of the cudgel, he is out ; on the contrary, if he do not, he 
obtains his call. The second method is to make four, six, or eight holes in 
the ground, in a circular direction, and as nearly as possible, at equal dis» 
tances from each other, and at every hole is placed a player with his cudgel 5 
one of the opposite party, who stand in the field, tosses the cat to the batsman 
who is nearest him, and every time the cat is struck, the players are obliged 
to change their situations, and run once from one hole to another in succes- 
sion ; if the cat be driven to any great distance, they continue to run in the 
same order, and claim a score toward their game, every time they quit one 
hole and run to another ; but if the cat be stopped by their opponents, and 
thrown across between any tvyo of the holes before the player who has quitted 
one of them can reach the other, he is out, 

HOP-SCOTCH. 

In some parts of England this game is called Pottle. It is played with an 
oyster-shell, in tlie following manner ; — Draw, witli chalk, on the ground, a 
figure similar to the cut in the margin. Toss up for 
innings. He who wins stands at the * and throws the 
shell into No. 1, which is called the first bed; he then 
steps with his right foot into that bed, and " scuffles," 
that is, jerks, with his right foot, the shell out toward 
the *. He now tln*ows the shell into No. 2; steps, 
with his left foot into No. 1, and then, placing his right 
foot in No. 2, scuffles the shell out as before, and steps 
with one foot back to No. 1, and thence out. He 
must now throw the shell into No. 3, and step into 1, 
2, and 3, scuffle the shell out, and step back through 
the beds alternately. He must then go to 4, 5, and 6, 
in succession, and, at each throw, step into every 
previous bed, with one foot only, and tlie like when 




MINOR SPORTS. 33 

coming back, reversing the numbers. After this, the player puts the shell 
into No. 1, hops into that bed, scuffles the shell into 2, and so on to 6, and 
back again in the same manner, bed by bed, to the *. Lastly, he places 
the shell into No. 1, puts his right foot in the bed, and scuffles the shell 
through all the beds, beyond the further line of 6, at one jerk. If the player 
who gets the innings do all this correctly, he wins the game. If, however, 
he put himself out, as hereafter described, the second player takes the 
innings ; if the latter put himself out, ^vithout going through the game, the 
first takes up his own game, where it was when he went out ; the second 
also does the like with his, if the first gets out a second time. When there 
are more than one innings, the fii'st who goes through the game, as above 
stated, wins. A player loses his innings in either of the following cases : — 
If he throw the shell into the wrong bed, or on the line, or put two feet into 
one bed, or a foot upon the lines, or do not scuffle the shell out of the bed in 
which it lies at the first attempt, or put his hands to the ground, or throw or 
scuffle the shell beyond line c, (except in the last, or what is called " the long 
scuffle,") or outside the lines ah ; or if, in going forward, he put his leg 
into 3 before 2, or the contrary when coming back ; or if, when scuffling the 
shell through on the hop, he di'ive it beyond the next bed in which it lies ; 
or if, in any part of the game, when he has stepped into a bed, he take 
more than one hop in order to get near the shell ; or if he hop after he has 
scuffled it; or, lastly, if, in the long scuffle, he do not, at one eftort, send it 
with his foot from beyond the line of c. But observe, that w^hen he has cast 
the shell into No. 2, or any bed beyond it, he is not compelled to scuffle it 
out, that is, beyond the line d, at one effort. 

KING OF THE CAftil^ft 

This is a very unexceptionable and simple, but nevertfieless, lively sport. 
One player places himself on the top of a little mound or hillock ', he is the 
King of the Castle, and he endeavours to retain possession of his post, as 
long as possible, against the attacks of his playmates, who endeavour, one at 
a time, to push him off. If he be driven off the mound or hillock, the player 
who dethi"ones him takes his place. 



A plank is placed across a felled tree, a low wall, or anything similar, 
and a player seats himself at each end ', by a slight exertion, if the plank be 
properly balanced, each end rises and sinks alternately. It must be observ- 
ed, that if the players be of unequal weight, he who is the heavier must, to 
preserve the due equilibrium, make his end of tile plank shorter. 



34 



MINOR SPORTS. 




This game is played as follows : — All the players but one, collect at a 
place called " home," while one goes off to hide himself. When ready, he 

shouts " Whoop oh !" the 
others then sally out to find 
him ; he who discovers the 
hidden player, calls out 
" Whoop oh !" tlie hidden 
player then breaks from his 
concealment, and if he can 
catch one of the others, the 
one so caught must carry 
him onhisback to " home." 
It is tlienthe boy's turn who 
has made the discovery to 
go and hide himself, and 
the others endeavour to dis- 
cover his lurking place, as 
before. 

HIDE AND SEEK. 

This is very like the preceding game ; a handkerchief, or some other trifle, 
is concealed by one player, and the rest attempt to find it ; the discoverer 
takes the next turn to hide the article. It is a custom, in this game, for the 
boy who has hid the article to encourage those who approach it, by telling 
them that they burn, and to warn them of their departure from it by saying 
tliey freeze. 

HIPPAS. 

The Greeks had a pastime called hippas, which, we are told, was one 
person riding upon the shoulders of another, as upon ahorse : a sport of this 
kind was in practice with us at the commencement of the fourteenth century, 
and is still occasionally seen in some parts of the country ; it is performed by 
two competitors, who struggle one with the other, and he who pulls his 
opjmnent from the shoulders of his carrier is the victor. A soft piece of 
turf is usually chosen for this sport. 

THREAD THE NEEDLE. 

Thread the needle may be played by a considerable number of boys, who 
all join hands, and the game commences with the following dialogue be- 
tween the two outside players at each end of the line : " How many miles 
to Babylon V " Threescore and ten." " Can I get thereby candlelight 1" 
•* Yes, and back again." " Then open the gates without more ado, and let 



MINOR SPORTS. 35 

the king and his men pass through. " In obedience to this mandate, the play- 
er who stands at the opposite end of the line and the one next him, lift their 
joined hands as high as possible; the other outside player then approaches, 
runs under the hands thus elevated, and the whole line follows him, if possi- 
ble, without disuniting. This is threading the needle. The same dialogue 
is repealed, the respondent now becoming the inquirer, and running be- 
tween the two players at the other end, with the whole line after him. The 
fii'st then has his turn again. 

DUCK. 

Duck should be played by a number exceeding three, but not more than 
six or eight. A large stone witli a smooth top is placed on or fixed into the 
ground, and an offing marked at eight or ten yards distance. Each of the 
players being previously provided with a large pebble, or stone, double the 
size of a cricket ball, or thereabout, one of them, by chance or choice, be- 
comes duck ; that is, he places the pebble or stone with which he is going to 
play, on the large stone, and stands a little on one side. The others then 
cast their pebbles or ducks at it, in turn, from the offing, each endeavouring 
to knock it off its place. Each player, as soon as he has cast his duck, 
watches for an opportunity of carrying it back to the offing, so as to cast 
again. If the player who is duck, can touch him after he has taken up his 
pebble, and before he reaches the offing, provided his own pebble remain 
on the large stone, then the player so touched becomes duck. It sometimes 
happens that three or four of the out-players' ducks lie so close together, that 
tlie player who is duck can stand in a situation to be within reach of all of 
them ; in this case, they cannot, without running the risk of being touched, 
pick up, until one of those who are at the offing is lucky enough to strike the 
duck off the large stone; then, before its owner can replace it, which he 
must do before he can touch a player, they all take up their ducks and run to 
the offing, where, of course, they are safe. 

HUNT THE SLIPPER. 

This is usually an in-door game, although there is no other objection to 
its being played on a dry piece of turf than that the slipper cannot be heard 
when struck by its momentary possessor, when passing round the joyous 
ring. Several young persons sit on the ground in a circle, a slipper is given 
to them, and one, who generally volunteers to accept the office in order to 
begin the game, stands in the centre, and whose business it is to " chase the 
slipper by its sound." The parties who are seated, pass it round so as to 
prevent, if possible, its being found in the possession of any individual. In 
order that the player in the centre may know where the slipper is, it is occa- 
sionally tapped on the ground, and then suddenly handed on to die right or 
left. When the slipper is found in the possession of any one in the circle, by 
the player who is hunting it, the party on whom it is so found, takes the latter 
player's place. 

c 2 



36 MINOR SPORTS. 

PALL MALL. 

Pall-mall is a game wherein a round piece of box is struck, witR'a mallet, 
through a high arch of iron, whicli he that can do at the fewest blows, or at 
tlie number agreed upon, wins. It is to be observed, that there are two of 
these arches, that is, one at either end of the alley. The game of Mall was 
a fashionable amusement in the reign of Cliarles II., and the walk in St. 
James's Park, now called the Mall, received its name from having been ap- 
propriated to the purpose of playing at Mall, where Charles himself, and his 
courtiers, frequently exercised themselves in the practice of this pastime. 
The denomination of " Mall," given to this game, is evidently derived from 
the mallet or wooden hammer used by the players to strike the ball. It will 
be perceived that this game is rather similar to Goff ; we have been told that 
it still exists in some parts of England ; but we must confess that it never fell 
under our personal observation. 

HOP, STEP, AND JUMP. 

This is a sport of emulation ; the object is to ascertain which of the play- 
ers concerned can, eventually, go over the greatest portion of ground in a 
hop, a step, and a jump, performed in succession, and which may be taken 
either standing or with a run, as may be agreed, at the outset, between the 
players. 

DRAWING THE OVEN. 

Several players seat themselves on the ground, in a line, and in such a 
manner that each may be clasped round the body by the player who is seat- 
ed behind him. When all are thus united, two others take the one who is 
at the extremity of the line by the two hands and pull until they separate him 
from the grasp of the one who is behind him. They then take the second in 
the same manner, and so on until they have thus drawn the whole line. 

THE LAME LAMPLIGHTERS. 

Two boys kneel, each on one knee only, holding the other leg off the 
ground, one opposite the other ; a lighted candle is given to one, and another 
candle, not lighted, to the other ; they then attempt to illumine the latter ; 
but, being in equilibrium on one knee, and liable to be thrown off their 
balance by the least motion, they will find this so difficult a matter as to 
cause great diversion to the spectators. 

THE JUMPING ROPE. 

A long rope is swang round by a player at each end of it ; when it moves 
tolerably regular, one, two, or even more boys, step in between those who 
hold the rope, suffering it to pass over their heads as it rises, and leaping up 
so that it goes under their feet when it touches the ground, precisely as in 
the case of a common skipping-rope. The principal difficulty in this sport 
is, to run between the players at the proper moment of time, that is, just aa 



MINOR SPORTS. 37 

the rope is at highest elevation, so as to be ready to jump over when, in its 
circuitjit comes toward the feet. Care must be taken that due time be kept 
in the leaps, so that they may perfectly accord with the motion of the rope. 
There is another mode of playing with the long skipping-rope, namely, by 
the player at one end of it, advancing a step or two toward the other, keeping 
the hand which holds the rope on the outside, and then, with the assistance 
of the player at the other end, turning the rope round, and skipping over it in 
its circuit. 

THE WOODEN BOTTLE. 

This is a sport similar to *' The Lame Lamplighters," frequently played 
by the parlour fire-side, in holyday time : — an individual seats himself on a 
wooden bottle which is placed sideways upon the floor, and endeavours,' with 
p, burning candle, which he holds in his right hand, to light another in his left- 

DROPPING THE 'KERCHIEF. 

A number of players join hands so as to make a circle ; one only stands 
out ; he walks round the outside of the circle, and drops a handkerchief be- 
hind which player in the circle he thinks fit. The party behind whom the 
handkerchief is thus dropped immediately follows the one who dropped it : 
those who stood on each side complete tlie circle by joining hands, and the 
chace commences. The pursuer is bound to follow precisely the course of 
the pursued, who winds in and out under the arms of the other players, wiio 
elevate them for his accommodation, and endeavours, by all the means in his 
power, to puzzle and elude him. If he succeed in so doing, that is, if the 
pursuer make a blunder in his course, he returns to his place in the circle, 
and the first player prepares to drop the handkerchief behind one of the play- 
ers again. When he is fairly overtaken by the player behind whom he has 
last dropped the handkerchief, the latter takes his place, and he joins handa 
in the circle. 

BUCK. 

This is a miniature resemblance of " Saddle my Nag;" but it neither 
requires speed, nor even agility. It is a spoit for two boys only, who should 
be nearly equal in size and strength. A third, who does not join in the 
game, stands by as an umpire. The game commences by one of the players 
giving a back ; that is, placing his arms across his breast, or resting them on 
his knees, stooping forward so as to bring his back nearly horizontal with 
his head, which he supports against a post, wall, tree or whatever may be 
convenient for the purpose. It is usual, but we think quite unnecessary, for 
tlie player Avho gives the back to be blindfolded ; we say unnecessary, be- 
cause the only object for doing this is to prevent him seeing what is going on 
behind, or, rather, above his back, which he cannot possibly do, if he keep 
bis head in a fair and proper position; and the umpire HlicHild see that lie^ 



38 ^«- MINOR SPORTS. 

does so. Tlie first player having thus taken his position, the second leaps, 
or vaults, astride on his back, hokis up as many ojf the fingers of one hand aa 
he pleases, and says, " Buck, buck, how many horns do I hold up V The 
player who gives the back makes a guess ; if lie name the right number the 
other player becomes Buck, and gives him a back. If, however, his guess 
be an incorrect one, the rider gets off, vaults on again, holds up the same or 
a different number of fingers, and asks the same question as before ; this is 
repeated until the Buck name the true number. It is the business of the 
umpire to see that there is no foul play on the part of the rider. We should 
suggest that it would be an improvement on this quiet, simple game, for the 
umpire to be made a third player ; so that when the Buck's guess is cor- 
rect, the rider should give a back, the umpire become rider, and the Buck 
umpire : thus, instead of the place of umpire being a mere idle vocation, the 
game would be productive of amusement and exeicise to all three of the boys 
engaged in it. 

THE SNOW STATUE. 

In those days, when winter clothes the surface of the earth with a mantle 
of snow, and many of the amusements of the play-ground are thereby sus- 
pended, it is a custom with boys, as some of our young readers, doubtless, 
very AvelJ know, to make that which is an impediment to their old recrea- 
tions, a material for new ones. Then do snow-bails, harmless if lightly com- 
pressed, but otherwise if strongly kneaded, fly about in abundance. Caves, 
and even pigmy fortresses, are constructed ; the roiling ball, which is first 
roundel by the little hands of a child, becomes, in a few hours, by driving it 
over the snow, too big for a man to move. When the joyous tenants of the 
play-ground have become fatigued with rolling the ball, or it has acquired a 
size and weight superior to their nnited powers, it is a common practice with 
tliem to cut a rude resemblance of a man out of the mass, adding to its height 
and diminishing its breadth. This is called the Snow Statue; and when 
complete, the young sculptors retire to a convenient distance, and, with the 
aid of snow-balls, each tries his utmost to demolish that which they have 
just taken such pains to construct. 

We are well aware that there are other Minor Sports and Pastimes prac- 
tised in play -grounds in different parts of the country, besides those we have 
described; ii vvould be impossible for us " to press the endless throng" with- 
in our limits. We give a selection of the best, and of those which most re- 
quired explanation. We are also aware, that the rules of some of the Sports 
vary in different places ; — where this is the case, we have given those which 
are most generally adopted. Many games and amusements which might 
ha\'e been inseited in this part of the work, wdll be found placed with great- 
er propriety, under other heads. 



THE DEAF AND DUMB ALPHABET. 




Though poor and old, she had a golden joy ; 
Her dim eye hrightened oft, to see her boy, — 
Albeit by Heaven deprived of speech and hearing, — 

Throw by his homely toy, 
And tell his love, in manner so endearing, 
Upon his nimble fingers, that she thought 
Him more endowed than those bereft of nought. 

The art of teaching those who are Deaf and Dumb a mode of compre- 
hending whatever it may be desirous to convey to their minds, and of ex- 
pressing their own wants and ideas to their more happy fellow creatures, is 
one of the greatest triumphs that humanity can boast. To such perfection 
may this art be carried, that those beings, to whose benefit the exertions of 
professors are directed, may be raised nearly to a par with the rest of the 
world. It has the great advantage of being remarkably simple ; so that a 
mother, a brother, sister, or school-fellow, by a little perseverance, may give 
the deaf and dumb youth the means of communicating his wishes on all oc- 
casions. He may be led progressively from the alphabet to the construction 
and signification of words, the composition of sentences, and, ultimately, to 
such a complete knowledge of language, as will enable him to study other 
branches of education Avith as much prom ise of success as if he had been born 
with all his senses in perfection. Our limits will not allow us to enter into 
any detail of the manner of conveying instruction to the Dumb, beyond the 
acquirement of the Alphabet, to which we add an engraving showing the 
position of the hands to express each letter. 



40 THE DEAF AND DUMB ALPHABET. 

THE ALPHABET. 

A. JS, I, O, U. The vowels a, e, i, o, and u, are expressed by touching, 
with the fore-finger of the right hand, the thumb, or one of the fingers of the 
left, according to the letter required to be expressed. 

A is made by touching the top of the thumb ; e, by touching that of the 
fore-finger; i, by touching that of the middle finger; o, by touching that of 
the ring, or fourth finger ; and w, by touching that of the little finger. 

B. Join the fore-finger and thumb of each hand, and place the backs of 
the two fore-finger nails together. 

C. Curve the fingers and thumb toward each other, so as to resemble as 
much as possible the shape of the letter. 

D. Curve the fingers and thumb of the right hand, but not quite *so much 
as for C, and place the tops of the fore-finger and thumb against the side of 
the fore-finger of the left hand, which is to be kept straight. 

F*. Place the fore-finger of one hand across the back of the two first 
fingers of the other. 

G and /. Clench the hands, and place one fist upon the other, 

//. Draw the palm of one hand across the palm and finger's of the other, 
beginning near the ball of the thumb, and going along the hands to the tips 
of the fingers, precisely as if you were bruslung something off the palm of 
one hand with tlie other. 

K. Curve the fore-finger toward the thumb, and place the second joint 
of the fore-finger so curved, against the back of the second joint of the fore- 
finger of the other hand. 

L. Lay the fore-finger of the right hand straight upon the pahu of 
the left. 

31. Lay the three first fingers of the right hand upon the palm of the 
left. 

iV. Lay the two first fingers of the right hand upon the palm of the 
left. 

P. Bend the thumb and fore-finger as for Z>, only make a lesser curve, 
and place the tops of the thumb and fore-finger to the two first joints of the 
foi"e-finger of the other hand. 

Q. Place the tops of the fore-finger and thumb together ; curve the fore- 
finger of the other hand, and place it on the inside of the fore-finger and 
tl:i::r-'^> Dreciselv where tlxev touch each otlier 



THE DEAF AND DUMB ALPHABET. 



41 




K 






N 






r\ O 







vr 






m^ 



4Sl THE DEAF AND DUMB ALPHABET. 

R, Curve the fore-finger of the right hand, and place it on the palm of 
the left. 

S, Curve the little fingers of each hand, and hitch them together. 

T. Place the top of the fore-finger of the right hand against the lower 
edge of tlie left hand, between the little finger and the wrist. 

F. This letter is made nearly as iV", with this difference only, that for V, 
the two fore-fingers of the right hand are placed apart, upon the palm of the 
left, instead of close together, as is the case for iV". 

W, Join the hands, with the fingers of one between tliose of the other 

X. Cross the two fore-fingers at the second joint. 

Y. Place the fore-finger of the right hand between the thumb and fore- 
finger of the left, which must both be extended. 

Z. Raise one hand toward the face, and place the palm of the other 
under the elbow of the arm which is so elevated. 

It is usual to mark the conclusion of each word by snapping the middle 
finger and thumb of the right hand : this, it may readily be imagined, ren- 
ders the dumb language much more intelligible. 

Numbers are counted by the fingers in the most simple way; one 
finger held up, signifies 1 ; two fingers, 2 ; the open hand, 5 ; the two 
hands, 10, &c 

Thus it will be perceived, that although many persons are by Nature de- 
prived of speech, yet Art has so ameliorated their condition, as not to leave 
them altogether dumb. 



ARCHERY. 



^^^^" 




To save his own and Albert's life, 
Tell is to shoot an apple from the head 
Of his own child ! 

William Tell 



In this island. Archery was greatly encouraged in former times, and 
many statutes were made for its regulation. The Artillery Company of 
London, though they have long disused the weapon, are the remains of the 
ancient fraternity of Bowmen or Archers. As to the time when shooting 
with the long bow first began amongst the English, there appears no certain 
account. Richard I, was killed by an arrow, in 1199 ; after this time, we 
read nothing of Archery, till that of Edward III. when an order was issued 



44 ARCHERY. 

to the sheriffs of most of the English counties, to provide five hundred white 
bows, and five hundred bundles of arrows, for the then intended war against 
France. The famous battle of Cressy was fought four years afterward, in 
which, it is stated, that we had about two thousand archers, opposed to about 
the same number of French. In the fifth year of the reign of Edward IV. 
an act was passed, that every Englishman, and Irishman dwelling with 
Englishmen, should have an English bow of his own height, which is directed 
to be made of yew, "wych, hazel, ash or awburne, or any other reasonable 
tree, according to their power. The next chapter also directed, that butts 
should be made in every township, which the inhabitants were obliged to 
shoot at, every feast day, under the penalty of one half-penny when they 
should omit this exercise. During the reign of Henry VIII. several statutes 
were made for the promotion of Archery. An act of parliament, in Eliza- 
beth's reign, regulated the price of bows. Charles I. is said to have been 
an Archer ; and, in the eighth year of his reign, he issued a commission to 
prevent the fields near London being so enclosed as " to interrupt the neces- 
sary and profitable exercise of shooting." So lately as the year 1753, tar- 
gets were erected in the Finsbury fields, during the Easter and Whitsuntide 
holydays, when the best shooter was styled " Captain " for the ensuing year, 
and the second, " Lieutenant." Edward VI, in his journal, says, that one 
hundred Archers of his guard shot, before him, two arrows each, and after- 
ward, altogether ; and that they shot at an inch board, which some pierced 
quite through with the heads of their arrows, the board being well seasoned 
timber. The distance of the mark is not mentioned. As a pastime there is 
none, perhaps, superior to this ; it is now, and for years past has been, higlily 
popular in this country ; in fact, judging from the past and the present, we 
may venture to predict that 

The Archer's sport will never be extinct, 

Until the memory of Robin Hood, 

Of Cressy 's well-fought field, and Chevy-Chase, 

Be blotted from the tablet of our minds. 

THE BOW. 

The young archer should, in the first place, select a bow, that is fit and 
proper for his own size and strength. It is not probable that, tet him be 
ever so skilful, he will be able to achieve such an exploit, as the construc- 
tion of a good bow himself; bow-making being a trade which requires many 
years' practice and much attention; in fact, there are few persons, now-a- 
days, although there are many bowyers, who can manufacture bows of a 
superior description. 

The back of the bow is the fiat outside, and the belly the round inside part 
of it. The round inside part is bent inward ; if the bow be pulled the reverse 
way, it will break ; therefore, however a bow may be bent when unstrung, 
it is invariably to be strimg with the round part inward 



ARCHERY. 45 



Arrows should be delicately proportioned in length and weight to the bow 
for which they are intended. They are used blunt or sharp, and varying in 
their thickness according to the fancy of the Archer. Some are made so 
as to taper gradually from the feathers to the pile, and some viceversa ; 
others again are thickest in the centre. All arrows should have their nocks 
or notches cased with horn, and the nocks should be of such a size as to fit 
the string with exactness, and be neither too tight nor too loose. Three 
goostt or turkey feathers are affixed to arrows ; one of these, denominated 
Sie cock feather, is of a different color from the other two, and this is al- 
ways to be placed uppermost. 

THE STRING. 

That part of the string which receives the nock of the arrow is whipped 
with sewing silk, to prevent the string being rubbed and weakened. If the 
silk should come oft' the string, it ought to be re-whipped without delay ; 
otherwise, it will be in danger of breaking ; and this is not the only mis- 
chief, for from the breaking of a string oftentimes ensues the snapping of the 
bow. It is also advisable to whip the noose and eye of the string, although 
many archers do not trouble themselves to do so. At one end of the bow- 
string an eye is made ; it is left for the archer himself, bows being of differ- 
ent lengths, to make the other : this, to a young archer, will be ft)und ratlier 
difficult ; his best plan will be to inspect the mode of making the ftoose on an 
old string. The young archer will do well, if any of the threads of his 
string break, to throw it by and use another. He should never, if possible, 
permit the string to become twisted or ravelled ; should such an occurrence 
take place, before it is put on again it ought to be re-twisted and waxed. 
A bow, five feet long when braced, should never have the string more ^han 
five inches from its centre. This rule will be a guide to the young archer 
m stringing his bow ; whatever be its length he will of course adjust the 
distance in the same proportion, according to the admeasurement. 

THE TASSEL. 

This is very necessary to the archer for the purpose of cleaning the arrow 
from such dirt as generally adheres to it if it enter the ground. This dirt, 
if suffered to remain, will impede^ the arrow in its flight, and also render its 
course untrue. The tassel is suspended on the left side of the archer, and 
S§ thus always at hand for use. 

THE GLOVE. 

The glove consists of places for three fingers, a back thong and a wrist 
strap to feisten it. The finger-stalls should neither project far over the 



46 ARCHERY. 

tops, nor be drawn back to cover the first joint. The glove is used for the 
purpose of protecting the fingers from being hurt by the string. 

THE BRACE. 

The brace is w^orn on the bow arm to save it from being injured by the 
string, which, witiiout this protection, would, in all probability, incapaci- 
tate the archer from shooting long at a time. It is made of stout leather, 
with a very smooth surface, so that the string may glide over it without 
Impediment. 

THE' QUIVER. 

The quiver is for the rec^eption of the arrows, but is never constantly 
worn except in roving; it is now usually made of tin, although it is occa- 
eionally constructed, as was indeed universally the case formerly, of wood 
or leather. 

THE BELT, POUCH, AND GREASE-BOX. 

The belt is buckled round the waist ; tlie grease-box is suspended from 
the middle, and the pouch or bucket on tlie right side of it, A composition 
for greasing the finger of the shooting-glove, and the smooth side of the 
brace, Avhen occasion may requii-e, is kept in the box : tlie pouch holds tlie 
arrows for immediate use in target shooting. 

THE ASCHAM. 

This is a large case fitted up with the necessary drawers and compart- 
ments for the reception of the bow, stock of arrows, strings, and all the 
necessary accoutrements of the archer. 

BUTTS. 

The butt is rather pyramidical in shape, geiierally speaking, but it may be 
fashioned according to the fancy of the archer ; for grown up persons, they 
are seven or eight feet wide, three or four feet thick at the base, and nearly 
seven feet in height at the middle. Butts are made of long plats of turf 
which are to be closely pressed down ; a round piece of pasteboard is placed 
in the centre of the butt for a nrar k, which must be increased oi- decreased in 
size according to the distance at which the archer shoots : for thirty yards, 
it should be four inclies in diameter; for sixty yards, six inches; and so in 
proportion for a greater distance. The mark is fixed to the butt by a peg 
driven through its centre. Shots that take place outside the mark are not 
reckoned, and he who places most shots in the pasteboard during the play is 
accounted the winner. Butts a»e fieciuently placed at difFerent distances 
from each other ; a set of butts is four, which are so contrived as not to pre- 
vent the players seeing them all at un(;e. What is called a single end is 
shooting at one mark only ; a double end is shooting to a mark, and back 
again from that uuuk t>i the one first shot from. 



ARCHERY. 47 

TARGETS. 

Targets should be proportioned to the size and skill of the juvenile 
archer, and to the distance at which he stands from tliem. The facing is 
usually made of canvass which is sewn on the bass; the bass is made of stravr, 
worked as a bee-hive. The facing has a gold centre and four circles ; 
namely, the outer white edged with green, tlie black inner, white and red. 
Where it is not convenient to keep the targets fixed, it is better to use another 
kind, made of pasteboard, these being more portable, although by no means 
so diurable, as targets made of the other materials we have mentioned. If 
one target only be shot at, a great deal of time is Avasted in going to fetch 
the arrows, and again returning to the spot for shooting from : two targets 
are, therefore, generally used, and the archers shoot from one to the other. 
In Archery matches, there are generally two prizes ; one for the greatest 
number of arrows shot into the target, — the other for the shot nearest the 
gold centre. Hits in the target are sometimes reckoned all alike ; but there 
is usually a distinction made. The gold centre is the mark, and the circle 
which approaches nearest to it, being less in size, and consequently, more 
difficult to hit, and nearer the main mark itself, an arrow shot in that circle 
is deemed of more value, in reckoning for the prize, than if it were to take 
place in any of those outside it, and so in proportion with the others. A 
celebrated society of Archery allows the following numbers for each cir- 
cle. For the gold, nine ; for the red, seven ; for the inner white, five ; for 
the black, three ; and for the outer white, one. A writer on this subject, 
however, seems to think, that the outer circles are overrated, and if nine 
be allowed for the centre, only three should be scored for the red ; two for 
the inner white ; and less, in proportion for the two outer circles. When 
the sport terminates, the value of the number of hits, and not the hits them-- 
selves, should be reckoned ; and he whose score is the largest, is, of course, 
the victor. 

As ink is by no means a convenient thing to carry into the field, and marks 
made with the black-lead pencil are liable to be rubbed out, it is advisable 
to have a pin suspended from a card, properly divided for each archer's 
score, and to prick down the hits with it. 

STRINGING THE BOW. 

The bow is to be taken in the right hand, by the handle, with the flat 
part toward the person who is about to string it ; his right arm should 
rest against his side ; the lower end of the bow, which has always the shortest 
bone, should be placed against the inside of the right foot, which should be 
turned a little inward to prevent the bow from slipping ; the left foot should 
at the same time be brought forward ; the centre of the left hand wrist must 
be placed on the uppei* limb of tlie bow below the eye of tlie string, the 



48 



ARCHERY. 



forefinger knuckle upon one edge of the bow, and the top of the tliumb on 
the otlier. The bow is now to be pulled up vigorously, and the upper 
limb of it pressed down by the right hand, and the wrist of the left which 
should at the same time slide upward until the eye of the bowstring is safely- 
placed in the nock. I'he middle, the ring and the little fingers, should all 
three be stretched out, as they are not wanted in tl)Is operation of stringing 
the bow ; moreover, if this be not done, they are liable to be caught be- 
tween the string and the bow, and thus become severely punished. The 
young archer should take care that the eye is well placed in the nock before 
he removes his left hand. He should not become impatient in the action 
of stringing the bow, but perform it systematically as directed ; if he do 
not succeed, let him lay it by for a few minutes, and when he is cool make 
a second attempt. To unstring the bow, the short horn is to be placed 
on the ground ; the palm of the left hand receiving the flat side of the 
upper limb ; the string should be upward ; the handle is then to be pressed 
with the right arm so as to slacken the string ; when the latter becomes 
loose enough, the eye is to be brought out of the nock, by the thumb of the 
left hand. 

POSITION. 

The face is to be turned toward the marli, but no part of the body, 
which, if tlie mark be north, should be turned toward the east ; the head 

should be rather inclined; the left 
hand, with the bow in it in a perpen- 
dicular position, is to be held out 
straight toward the mark ; the arrow 
is to be brought well toward the ear 
and not the eye, on the left side of the 
bow and under the string ; the fore- 
finger of the left hand passes over it ; 
by the other hand the nock is placed in 
the string at the proper place, with the 
cock feather uppermost ; when this is 
done, the forefinger of the left hand is 
removed and placed round the bow. 
While the left hand is raising the bow, 
the right should be drawing the string 
with two or three fingers only and not 
the thumb ; as soon as it reaches the 
head it should be let loose, for fear of 
^~ ' ' "^ - — -- ^~- — " its breaking. 

Great care should be taken to ac- 
quire a proper position, as represented in the marginal cut, for bad attitudes 
in Archery appear extremely ridiculous. 




ARCHERY. 49 

FLIGHT-SHOOTING. 

FHghl-shooting was at one time much more frequently pi'actised wilh 
tlie long bow than it is at present The object in iiight-shooting is simply 
to ascertain which of a party can shoot to tlie greatest distance; this must 
of course, be very detrimental to bows, which are more frequently snapped 
in iiight-shooting than at any other pastime with the long bow. No skill in 
aiming is requisite in flight-shooting ; it is, tlierefore, by no means improving 
to the young Archer, who wishes to excel as a marksman. The longest and 
lightest arrows that the bow will bear are used in flight-shooting ; the game 
is generally seven. 

CLOUT-SHOOTING. 

■ Clout-shooting is mostly practised by those who cannot conveniently set up 
butts or targets near home. The clout, which is quite portable, is made of 
around piece of pasteboard, thirty-six inches in circumference, fastened to a 
Btick ; or it may be made of white cloth, so contrived as to roll up on a stick 
which is run through it. In clout -shooting, seven is the game, and all arrows 
tell that fall within three bows' lengtli of the clout. 

ROVING. 

This is a very pleasant pastime with the long bow ; and is, indeed, by 
some, preferred even to target-shooting. The parties are not restricted 
to any particular place, but rove about from field to field for miles around, 
if they think fit. The mark is any clear and conspicuous object, such as a 
ti-ee or a bush. The number of the game is, in general, as in flight and 
clout-shooting, seven ; but it may be increased or decreased, according to 
the inclination of the parties. If there be more than six persons in a roving 
party, they should divide themselves into companies ; and wlien the first 
company have shot to, and walked some distance from, the first mark, the 
second should shoot at it : and so on with those that follow. Arrows thai 
reach within five bows' length of the mark tell ; but those which reach 
nearest cut the others out. In measuring the distance, the Archer does 
so with his own bow, from a spot in the mark which is one foot from 
the ground ; and the first arrow is the one that is nearest, not to the mark, 
but to that point or spot of the mark. The Archer may measure to what 
part of his arrow he pleases. He who shoots nearest has the privilege of 
indicating the next mark. It is better to use blunt-headed arrows in 
Roving than sharp ones ; as it not unfrequently happens that the latter are 
driven so firmly into the mark as to make it a matter of difficulty to ex- 
tract them : should this occur, it is advisable to cut away the wood around 
the arrow, rather than endeavour to tug it out by violence. FiVery Rover 
shoidd carry at kast a doze« arrows with Jiim, m older to be prepared 
against accidents, 
li 



50 ARCHERY. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS 

We strongly recommend the young Archer never to shoot with another 
person's bow ; he may, very probably, break it ; and in that case, a loss 
might ensue to the owner, which money could not remedy. When the grass 
is above the ankle, shoot only at a considerable elevation. After two or 
three arrows are shot, the Archer should cease awhile, otherwise his aim 
will get unsteady. If he shoot point-blank at a mark, the arrow, if it miss, 
will strike along, and so bury itself in the grass, as to defy the keenest eye, 
in many instances, for a very considerable time, to discover it. This in- 
convenience may be remedied by shooting at a proper elevation, for then 
the arrow will descend in such a manner as to leave the feathers visible ; 
they will also be saved, from that injury which frequently occurs to them, by 
the moisture of the grass, or ground, when shot point-blank. Arrows 
should not be used of different lengths, nor should the young Archer shoot 
alone ; for in solitary shooting, he falls into habits of negligence and indif- 
ference ; if he practice with others, he will strive to emulate his companions j 
and, instead of a careless, unskilful marksman, soon become an adept in the 
pleasant pastime of Archery. 




CRICKET. 




The youthful Yeomanry are in the field, — 
Their tents are pitched, and every heart beats high 
To join the friendly strife : — their stoutest forts 
Are slender wickets ; — all their entrenchments, 
A popping and a bowling-crease ; their weapons, 
Bats *, — their ammunition, a brace of balls, 
In leathern and tight-fitting jerkins clad. 

This truly English pastime, although long a favorite with the people 
of this country, never reached to a greater degree of popularity than it 
possesses at this time. It is a favorite with the peer and the peasant, — 
the Socior Societatis Artiura and the schooi-boy. Royalty has, heretofore, 
stood bat in hand at the popping-crease, surrounded by those youthful buds 
of nobility of which our nation has since been proud; and, strange though 
it may seem, yet it is no less strange than true, — young matrons have 
played matches of Cricket against maidens, without impeachment to their 
usual reputation, and having husbands, brothers, and sweethearts for tlieir 
spectators. In many counties, Cricket is the universal pastime of the peo- 
ple ; in others, it is rarely played, and in many, scarcely mentioned. The 
man of Devon, who deems all sports inferior to wrestling, and the inhabitant 
of Somerset, who doats upon the manly game of back-sword, seldom bestow 
a thought upon Cricket; it is, nevertheless, esteemed and enjoyed by tlie 
people of other counties, especially those about the metropolis, as a sport 

D 2 



52 CRICKET 

paramount, and practised in so great a degree, as nearly to exclude all other 
manly field recreations of a similar nature. 

Cricket is usually played by eleven persons on each side, though a less 
number is sufficient. Two umpires are to be appointed in order to settle 
all disputes that may arise ; they are to take tlieir stations at each wicket, 
and should be well acquainted with tlie laws of the game. The umpire at 
the striker's wicket should be rather behind it, so as not to be in the way 
of the players ; and the umpire at the bowler's wicket, directly behind it, to 
see that the striker does not strike the ball with his leg. 

BATS, BALLS, WICKETS, &C. 

The bat should not be higher than twenty-one inches in the pod, and four 
inches and a quarter in the widest part ; this is the size for men ; boys must, 
of course, have bats in proportion to their size and strength. 

The ball, for the use of men, should weigh about five ounces ; for youth, 
however, it should be lighter. 

Full-sized wickets are three stumps, which are sufficiently long to leave 
twenty-four inches out of the ground, widi a bail, seven inches long, to fit 
tlie top. These, like the bat and ball, must be decreased in srze for the 
^roung cricketer. They should be placed directly opposite to each other, 
at the distance of twenty-two yards for men, but varying according to the 
size of the player. 

The bowiing-crease should be in a line with the wicket, and have a retiu*n 
crease. 

The popping-crease should be tliree or foiu- feet from the wicket, and 
exactly parallel with it. 

THE BOWLER. 

Bowling is a very important part of the game, and requires great steadi- 
ness. Bad bowling is often the cause of losing a game. A bowler should 
not be too systematic, but vary his balls faster or slower, according to the 
peculiarities of the striker. The bowler and his partner at the opposite 
wicket should have a secret sign, by which they may hint to each other the 
propriety of varying the direction or swiftness of the balls. The mode of 
Ijowling most generally approved of, is to hold the ball with the seam 
across, so that the tips of the fingers may touch ; it should be held with just 
a sufficient grasp to keep it steady j by a turn of the wrist, it may be made 
to cut or twist after it is grounded, which will fre(iuently perplex expert 
players. 

THE STRIKER, OR BATSMAN. 

The striker siiould always be ready for running ; when his partner is 
about to strike, he should stand before the popping-crease, but he must be 



CRICKET. 53 

cautious not to leave the ground before tlie ball is out of the bowler's hand; 
for if he do, tiie bowler may put down his wicket, and he will, of course, be 
out. As soon as the ball is delivered, the strikei' may follow it, but should 
not run too far, so that, if no runs be obtained, he may return in time to 
save his wicket. The bat should be kept on the outside of the opposite 
partner, and care taken not to run against him. 

THE WICKET-KEEPER. 

The wicket-keeper should not suffer the striker to move from his ground 
without knocking down his wicket, which is called " stumping out." 

THE FIRST SHORT-SLIP. «^ 

The first short-slip should stand so as to reach within two feet of the 
wicket-keeper ; if the latter should go from the wicket after the ball, the 
first short-slip should take his place until his return ; but no player should 
take the ball before the wicket-keeper, provided it be comiiig straight to 
him. 

THE POINT, 

The point should place himself in the popping-crease, about seven yards 
from the striker. In backing up, he should take care to give the slip suffi- 
cient room. 

LEG, OR SLIP. 

Leg, or slip, should stand a little back from the straight line of the pop- 
ping-crease. 

LONG-STOP. 

Long-stop should stand a proper distance behind the wicket, to save a 
run, if the ball should not be stopped by the striker or wicket-keeper. The 
person who is placed in this situation, should not be afraid of the ball when 
bowled swift. He should also be able to throw in well, as it is not only to 
the balls that pass the wicket-keeper, but to such as are just tipped with the 
edge of the bat, that he will have to attend. He must also be attentive in 
backing up. 

THE LONG-SLIP TO COVER THE SHORT-SLIP. 

This player must stand about the same distance from the wicket as 
the iong-sto[), in a line with the striker, between the point and the short- 
slip. 

TO COVER THE POINT AND MIDDLE-WICKET. 

This player's place is on the off" side, ?o that if the ball should be hit to 
the point and iMi.Lllf'-Aviclvet man, and missed, lie will be in readiness to 
receive it. 



54 CRICKET. 



THE LONG-SLIP OFF SIDE. 



He should be placed on the off side, between the middle wicket-man and 
the bowler, at a considerable distance in the field, so as to cover them. It 
is desirable to appoint a person to this situation, who can tlirow well and 
judiciously. 



LONG-FIELD ON SIDE. 

Long-field on side is at some distance wide of the bowler's wicket, so as 
to prevent a second run. 

If there be more players, they may be placed to back up, or save runs, in 
different situations about the field. 

LAWS OF CRICKET. 

The bowler should deliver the ball with one foot behind the bowling 
crease, and within the return crease. He should bowl four balls before a 
change of wickets, which he is to do but once in the same innings. He 
must be careful to toss the ball in such a way that the striker can play at 
it I for if he should toss it above the striker's head, or out of the bounds of 
the bowling-crease, the party which is in shall be allowed one notch, to be 
put down to the byes ; and such ball is not considered as one of the four 
halls. When the umpire calls " In ball," the hitter may strike at it, and 
get all the runs he can. When an exchange of bowler takes place, no more 
than two balls can be allowed for practice. If the arm be extended straight 
from the body, or the back part of the hand be uppermost when tlie ball is 
delivered, the umpire shall immediately call " No ball." 

The striker, or batsman, is always out when the bail is knocked off the 
stump ; when a stump is bowled out of the ground ; or, if the ball should, 
from a stroke over or under his bat, or upon his hands, (but not his wrists,) 
be held before it touches the ground, even if it should be pressed to the 
body of the catcher; or if, while he is striking, or at any other time when 
the ball is in play, both his feet are over the popping-crease, and his wicket 
put down, except when his bat be on the ground within it. Likewise, if 
lie hit down his own wicket ; or, if either of the strikers prevent a ball from 
being caught, the striker shall be out; or, if the ball be struck up, and the 
hitter wilfully strike it again; or if, in attempting to run a notch, the 
wicket be struck down by a throw, or with the ball in hand, before his foot, 
hand, or bat is grounded over die popping-crease : If the striker remove or 
take up his ball while in ])lay, without being requested by the opposite 
party ; or if, with his leg or foot, he stop a ball which has been pitched in a 
straight line to the striker's wicket. If "A lost ball" be called, the striker 
gliall be allowed four notches. If the players have crossed each other in 



CRICKET. 56 

running, he that runs for the wicket which is put down, shall be out ; but if 
they have not crossed each other, he that has left the wicket which is put 
down, shall be out. 

When a ball is caught, no notch shall be reckoned. When a striker is rim 
out, the notch they were running for shall not be reckoned. While the ball 
is kept in the bowler's or wicket-keeper's hand, it is considered no longer 
hi play, nor are the strikers bound to keep within their bounds, till the um- 
pire has called " Play ;" but if a player should go out of his ground, with 
intent to run, before the ball is delivered, the bowler may put him out. If a 
striker be hurt by a ball, or otherwise, during his play, he may retire from 
his wicket and continue his inning ; and another person may be permitted 
to stand out for Jiim, but not go in. If any player should stop the ball inten- 
tionally with his bat, it shall then be considered dead, and the opposite party 
may add five notches to the score. 

If the ball be struck up, the striker may guard his wicket either with his 
bat or his body. If the striker hit the bail against the wicket of his partner 
when he is ofif his ground, he is out, if it have previously touched the bowler's 
or any of the field-men's hands, but not otherwise. 

Two minutes are allowed for each man to come in, and fifteen minutes 
between eacli innings; Avlien upon the umpires calling " Play," the party 
refusing to play, shall lose the match. 

The umpire should observe the situation of the boAvler's foot when he de- 
livers the ball, and if it be not behind the bowling-crease, and within the 
return-crease, he shall call " No ball." If the striker should run a notch, 
the umpire shall call " No notch." The umpire at the bowler's wicket has 
a right to be first applied to for his decision on the catches. 

SINGLE WICKET. 

The game of Single Wicket is not so interesting as that of Double 
Wicket ; but it may be played by almost any number of persons, though it 
is seldom played with more than four or six on a side. The business of a 
bowler and striker is nearly the same as in Double Wicket. 

When the striker runs to the bowler's wicket, and knocks the bail from 
off two stumps placed there, with his bat, and returns to his own wicket 
without having it knocked down by the ball, he is entitled to count one notch. 
After he has run one notch, if he start for another, he must touch, the bow- 
ling stump, and turn again, before the ball crosses the play, to entitle him to 
another notch. He is entitled to three notches for a lost ball. 

If four, or a less number are at play, then they should make all hits 
before the wicket, with bounds, &c. and not move off the ground, except 
Dy agreement. Where there are more than four players on a side, there 
should be no bounds ; and all hits, byes, and overthrows, should be allowed. 
It is, of course, to be understood, that the bowler must bowl at the usual 



56 



CRICKET. 



distance from the wicket. No more than one minute is to be allowed be- 
tween each ball. When the striker hits the ball, one of his feet must be on 
the ground, and behind the popping-crease ; otherwise the umpire shall call 
*' No hit." Ihe field's-man must return the bail, so that it shall cross the 
play between the wicket and tlie bowling-stump ; or between the wicket and 
the bounds ; the striker may run till the ball shall be so returned. These 
are the principal rules and regulations adopted by the most experienced 
Cricket-players, at the game of Single Wicket. The distance between the 
wickets is precisely the same as at Double Wicket, consequently, the runner 
has twice the ground to run, in obtaining each notch ; but we would sug- 
gest, that this evil might be remedied by running only a little more than 
half the usual distance : by this method. Single Wicket will be rendered 
much less fatiguing, and far more lively and amusing, at least to the 
Batsman. 




GYMNASTICS. 




"^?^^^'^'^^=::s^2^^?!^?^^ 



EnrolPd among our Gymnasts, the pale youth 
Whose limbs, erewhile, weak and of muscle void. 
Totter 'd beneath their puny load, soon gains 
The bloom of health ; and issues forth, at last. 
Robust and hardy as the mountaineer. 

Gymnastic Exercises have lately attained considerable popularity, not 
only in this country, but also in Prussia, and other parts of the Continent. 
They may be said to be a series of regular and systematic exercises, adapted 
to bring into play, and consequently improve, the strength and activity of 
the various muscles in the human frame : imparting a knowledge of the 
proper use of each, and teaching the pupil the means of disposing of his 
natural powers to the best advantage. They are also calculated to inspire 
him with confidence in a moment of danger, and to enable him to extricate 
himself, as well as others, from peril, by his increased bodily agility, and 
the experience he has acquired, as to the most advantageous mode of its 
application. A cotemporary writer on this subject makes the following ob- 
servations in support of the assertion that Gymnastic Exercises confer 
courage and presence of mind. " Courage is generated by confidence, and 
confidence is acquired by practice. A hazardous undertaking which we 



58 GYMNASTICS. 

have often achieved, ceases to be considered as any fiuther dangerous than 
affording us an occasion to call forth all our energies. The well-taught 
Gymnast would, in a case of necessity, take a leap which few could per- 
form, if any would venture. Leaps of great distances and heights he has 
often attempted with success. By him the length, the height, and the inter- 
vening obstacles could be measm*ed in a moment. Rehearsals of such 
situations and circumstances have been his daily amusement. He cannot 
be dismayed at danger who has often played with it, and the principles of 
his art have supplied him with means to disarm it of half its power. To 
illustrate the foregoing remarks, we shall here relate what we consider an 
instance of the coolness, accuracy, and presence of mind to be acquired by 
daily practice. Walking out one day near the city of Edinbm-gh, our at- 
tention was attracted to a field where the Royal Company of Archers were 
practising. A man, hired for the purpose, and trained to the duty, was 
stationed at the target, with a small flag in his hand to mark tlie spot where 
the arrows fell, the distance being very considerable. It is incredible with 
what accurate perception this man followed the arrow in its rapid passage 
along the arch it made in the sky; and with what accuracy he seemed to 
conjecture how near the target, or on what side it would fall. He stood 
close to the target, almost touching it with his right arm; one arrow flew 
through the air ; he narrowly observed the feathered messenger advancing 
rapidly in its course — he stepped one step to the left, and the arrow stuck 
firmly in the ground a few inches to his right, betwixt him and the target. 
He waved his flag to the spot, and a second arrow was sent ; from this he 
escaped by darting a little to the right. To save himself from the third, he 
had no occasion to move from his station, as he coolly saw it deposited in 
the lower part of the target. It is needless to detail the rest. The arrows 
stuck before, behind, and on each side of him. The exercise at last con- 
cluded; and it seemed no less surprising to us, the insensibility of danger 
which this man, for the sake of a little gain, exhibited, than the confidence 
which his employers doubtless had in the acirteness of his perception." 

The same writer elsewhere observes that "the ancients, particularly the 
free states of Greece, cultivated the study of gymnastics as an important 
oranch of the education of youth. Having frequently to defend their lib- 
erties, either against the encroachments of kindred states, or the ambition 
of powerful fi)reign enemies, they considered it highly necessary to inure 
their youth to hardy and even violent exercise, that their minds might not 
be daunted in the hour of danger, nor their bodies sink under the necessary 
fatigues of warfare." 



GYMNASTICS. 



59 




GYMNASTIC EXERCISES. 



The necessary fittings-up of a Gymnastic ground are as follows : — Am 
horizontal bar, a vaulting-horse, a leaping-stand, parallel bars, a climbing- 
stand, and ladders of rope and wood. 

The best time for performing Gymnastics is early in the morning. Boys 
should proceed gradually from the more easy to the more difficult exercises ; 
and it is most advisable to practise these sports under the eye of an expe- 
rienced person. Where there is a number of boys, they should be divided 
into classes, according to their strength. It is advisable to carry no toys- 
in the pockets when practising ; extra clothes should be put on when 
the exercises are finished ; and the usual precautions adopted to prevent 
taking cold. 

The following observations, which are principally from Salzmann, may 
be perused with advantage. No person in health is injured by being over- 
heated; but drinking when extremely hot, or being cooled too quickly, in; 
whatever manner it happens may prove highly pernicious. It is proper,, 
therefore to take off whatever clothing can be decently spared, before begin- 
ning to exercise, and put it on again immediately after. Lying down 
upon the cold ground, too, must not be allowed. On commencing any 



60 GYMNASTICS. 

exercise, begin, not with its more violent degrees, but with the more gentle,. 
and leave off in the same manner ; sudden transitions are always danger- 
ous. Never let bodily exertion, or your attempts to harden the frame, be 
carried to excess : let your object be to strengthen the feeble body, not to 
exhaust and render it languid. In all exercises, attention should be paid 
to such a position of all the parts of the body, that none may be exposed to 
injury : for examf)le, the tongue must never be suffered to remain be- 
tween the teeth. The left hand and arm are commonly weaker than the 
right ; let them be frequently exercised, therefore, by lifting, carrying, and 
supporting the weight of the body by suspension, till they become as strong 
as the others. 

Although walking, running, dancing, balancing, vaulting, climbing, 
jumping, wrestling, riding, swimming, and all other muscular exercises, 
may be included in the term Gymnastics, the common course adopted at 
tlie schools includes only walking, running, jumping, vaulting, balancing, 
and climbino-. 



In walking, the arms should move freely by the side, tlie head be kept 
up, tlie stomach in, the shoulders back, the feet parallel with the ground, 
and the body resting neitlier on the toe nor heel, but on the ball of the foot. 
On starting, the pupil should rise one foot, keep the knee and instep straight, 
the toe bent downward. When this foot reaches the ground, the same 
should be repeated with the otlier. This should be practised imtil the pupil 
walks firmly and gracefully. 



In running, the legs should not be raised too high; the arms should 
be nearly still, so that no unnecessary opposition be given to the air by 
useless motions. Running in a circle is excellent exercise, but tlie direc- 
tion should be occasionally changed, so that botli sides may be equally 
worked. 



The first rule in jumping is, to fall on the toes and never on the heels« 
Bend the knees, that the calves of the legs may touch the thighs. Swing 
the arms forward when taking a spring, break the fall with the hands, if 
necessary ; hold the breath, keep the body forward, come to the ground with 
both feet together, and in taking the run, let your steps be short, and in- 
crease in quickness as you approach the leap. Begin with a moderate 
height or breadth, and increase both as you improve. 



GYMNASTICS. 



61 



PARALLEL BARS. 

Begin by raising the body by the hands, and then moving the hands 
alternately backward and forward, until you go along the bars each way 
by means only of your hands. Then 
move or jump with both hands at once. 
The swing is performed by supporting the 
body by the arms, with the stomach up- 
ward, until the toes are in a straight line 
with the head ; when the pupil can do this 
with ease, he should throw his body from 
this position over the bar to the right or 
left. The movement of lowering the body 
by bending the elbows is done by drawing 
up the feet toward the hams, and sinking 
gradually until the elbows are even with 
the head; rise again by straightening 
the arms, and repeat the exercise sev- 
eral times. Many other exercises may 
be performed on these bars, which will occur to the pupil in the course of 
his practice. 




HORIZONTAL BAR. 

The first position is taking hold of the bar with both hands, and raising 
the body until the chin is on a line with the knuckles. When you can 
look over the bar in this manner with ease, place the hands on the further 

side of the bar from you, and raise 
the body as before. In the next ex- 
ercise, the body is raised from the 
ground by both hands on each side 
of the bar, and the pupil passes, 
j springs, or moves the hands alter- 
nately along the bar. Keep the legs 
close, lift the feet so as to touch the 
bar and sink them down again ; 
repeat this several times , and wli en 
in this position, pass along the bar 
by alternately moving the hands ; 
the body may then be supported by the right arm and left leg, and afterward 
by tlie left arm and right leg; you may then place yourself in a riding posi- 
tion on the bar. You may also swing with the head downward, take the 
bar with both hands, and pass the feet between them, until they hang down- 




62 



•GYMNASTICS. 



ward ; you may either return them tlie same way, or drop upon your toes 
to the ground. 

THE LONG LEAP. 

Make a trench, which widens gradually from one end to the other, so 
that the breadth of the leap may be increased daily. Keep the feet close 
together, and take your spring from the toes of one foot, which should be 
quickly drawn up to the other, and they should descend at the same instant ; 
throw the arms and body forward, especially in descending. Take a rim of 
about twenty paces. 

THE DEEP LEAP 

This is performed from a flight of steps, increasing the depth according 
to the progress of the pupil. The body should be bent forward, the feet 
close together, and the hands ready to touch the ground at the same time 
with or rather before the feet. We do not, however, much approve of 
this exercise. 

THE HIGH LEAP. 

Get a stand made of two upright posts, bored through with holes, 
du'ough which you may pass a string at what length you please, with 
sand bags of sufficient weight to keep it 
straight, and yet not so heavy as to pre- 
vent your carrying it away with your foot, 
in case you touch it while leaping ; or you 
may have holes bored to admit movable 
pegs to support the string, as in the cut. 
You must take this leap both standing and 
with a run ; for the former, the legs should 
be kept together, and the feet and knees 
raised in a straight direction ; for the lat- 
ter, we recommend a short run, and a light 
tripping step, gradually quickened as the 
leaper approaches the string. You should 
be particularly careful not to alight on your 
heels, but ratlier on the toes and balls of 
the feet. 

THE HIGH LEAP WITH THE POLE. 

Take the pole with the right hand about the height of the head, and 
with the left about the height of the hips ; when put to the ground, spring 
with tlie right foot, and pass by the left of the pole, over whatever you 
)iave to clear, turning round as you alight, so as to front the place you 
leap fi'om. 




GYMNASTICS. 63 

THE DEEP LEAP WITH THE POLE. 

This requires strength in the arms and hands. Place the pole the depth 
you have to leap, lower the body forward, cast oif your feet and swing round 
the pole so as to alight with your face fronting the point you leaped from. 
Come to the ground, if possible, on the balls of your feet. 

THE LONG LEAP WITH THE POLE. 

This is performed precisely as the last, only that you spring forward, 
rather than high ; it may be practised across the trench. 

VAULTING. 

The horse for vauhing is made of a wooden cylinder with rounded ends ; 
two ridges are placed across it, the space between which is called the sad- 
dle, and should be wide enough apart for a person to sit between them with 
ease. The horse may be wadded or not, according to fancy. Leaping on 
the horse is performed by springing by the hands astride upon it. The body 
is raised in the same manner, until the feet reach high enough to stand on 
the horse ; the hands are then to be placed on the lurther ridge, and the 
body thrown forward into the saddle. 

Vaulting into the saddle may be performed with or without a run ; place 

the hands on one of the ridges, take 
a spring, and turn the body on one 
side, so that one leg may pass over 
the horse, and the performer descend 
astride into the saddle. To vault 
sidew^ays over the horse, the hands 
must be placed as above, and a 
spring made sufficient to throw the 
feet over the horse ; one hand then 
leaves its hold, and you descend on 
the other side. To vault on or over 
the saddle forward, take hold of 
each ridge with the hands, and spring between them, so as to rest or to 
go over the saddle. 

TO CLIMB THE ROPE. 

In climbing the rope the hands are to be moved alternately, one above the 
other, the feet drawn up between every movement of the hands, and the 
rope grasped firmly between them ; in descending, move one hand aftei- the 
other, as the friction, if you slide, would blister them. The best method to 
climb the slant rope is to lay the sole of one foot flat on the rope, and the 
other leg over tlie instep of that foot. 




64 



GYMNASTICS. 



THE PLANK. 

The breadth of the plank should he about two feet ; its thickness, tvto 
inches ; to climb it, the hands are to be placed on each side, and the feet 
on its surface ; ascend by moving them al- 
ternately. Elevate the plank by degrees as 
you improve in the exercise. The progress 
that may be made in the ascension of the 
plank is astonishing. We know several 
Gymnasts who can ascend a plank in a per- 
pendicular position, without difficulty. To 
do this, the body and feet are in a different 
position to that represented in the marginal 
cut, where the figure in merely travelling up 
an inclined plane ; to ascend a perpendicu- 
lar plank, the body is curved inward more 
from the shoulders downward, and the leg3 
thrust up so that the higher one is nearly 
even with the hand. 




ASCENDING THE LADDER. 

Take liold of each side of the ladder, and ascend by moving the hands 
alternately. To climb the ladder by rundels, the learner must bring the 
elbow of the arm which happens to be the lowest, down to the ribs, before 
he pulls himself up by the other. To climb the ladder by one side, take 
hold of one side of the ladder with both hands, the palms toward the outer 
part of the side ; move the hands alternately, and keep the legs close and 
steady. 

TO CLIMB THE PERPENDICULAR OR SLANT POLE. 

Move the legs and hands alternately, taking care, however, not to place 
the hands over each other, as in climbing the rope. In descending the pole, 
the hands are held ready to be used, if necessary, on each side of it; the 
legs being then a little slackened, you will descend witli great ease. 

FLYING STEPS. 

This is a very beneficial exercise. Fix a beam firmly in the ground, with 
a strong iron cap, that moves in a circular horizontal position, at the top of 
it ; four ropes are to be fixed to the cap, and bars of wood fastened at the 
bottom of the ropes, which are to be taken hold of, and the pupils vault 
round, bearing the weight on the rope, and continually increasing in speed 
until they touch the gi'ound only at intervals with their toes. ( Vide cut at 
tlie commencement of Gymnastic Exercises.) 



GYMNASTICS, 



65 




GYMNASTIC RECREATIONS. 

The following Recreations of skill and agility, will, we have no doubt, 
prove highly attractive to our youthful readers ; they are, with two or three 
exceptions, entirely distinct from the usual Gymnastic Exercises ; and will 
he found, on account of their being less formal,, more amusing, perhaps, 
than the preceding ones. 

STEPPING THROUGH YOUR OWN FINGERS. 

Get a bit of wood, or half of a tobacco-pipe, hold it between tlie two fore- 
fingers of each hand, and, without letting it go, after a little practice, you 
may leap over it, forward and backward, without difficulty : when perfect 
in this, you may, as the writer of this has frequently done, place the tops of 
the two middle fingers together, and leap over them both ways, without 
either separating or touching them with the feet. It is impossible to per- 
form this trick with high-heeled shoes ; and, in fact, the great difficulty 
consists in clearing the heels. 



THE TRIUMPH. 

Place the palms of the hands together, behind you, with the fingers down- 
ward, and the thumbs nearest the back ; then, still keeping as much as pos- 
sible of the palms together, and, at least, the fingers of one hand touching 
those of the other, turn the hands, by keeping the tops of the fingers close to 
tlie back, until the ends are between the shoulders, with the palms togetlier, 
the thumbs outward, and the tops of the fingers toward the head. Tiiis hs 
% very difficult feat, and well deserves its title. 




66 GYMNASTICS. 

THE JAVELIN. 

This is a capital Gymnastic Recreation. Get a heavy pole, shod at one 
mid with iron, or a spike, if you think proper ; elevate it with the other 

hand to the height of the ear, and 
cast it at a target. At some of the 
Gymnastic schools, the pupils are 
taught to cast the pole with their 
fingers, as they would a reed ; this 
is a bad practice, — the spear should 
be grasped witn the whole hand, 
the but-end of it coming out be- 
tween the fore-finger and thumb, 
and the firont or shod part projecting 
from the little finger, which ought to 
encircle it as much as its thickness 
will permit ; poise it accurately, and 
take your aim deliberately before 
you cast it. When you cast, throw 
your arm back as far as possible, and deliver tlie pole with all your force. 

DOT AND CARRY TWO. 

The person who is to perform this exploit, (whom we shall designate 
as No. 1,) stands between two otliers, (whom we shall call Nos. 2 and 3;) 
he then stoops down and passes his right hand behind the left thigh of 
No. 2, whose hand he grasps ; and his left hand behind the right thigh of 
No. 3, whose left hand he grasps. Nos. 2 and 3 then pass each one arm 
round the neck and shoulders of No. 1, and when in this position. No. 1, by 
raising himself gradually from his stooping position, lifts the others from 
the ground. 

PROSTRATE AND PERPENDICULAR. 

Hold yoiu* arms on your breast, lie on your back and get up again, wiiii^ 
out making use of either your elbows or hands. 

THE FLYING BOOK. 

Place a book, or other convenient thing, between the two feet, in such a 
way that it is held between the ancles and the inner side of the feet ; then 
kick up, backwards, with both feet, and throw the book over your head. 

KNUCKLE DOWN, 

An exercise of some d'ifiiculty, is performed by putting the toes against a 
chalk line, kneeling down and rising up again, without any assistance of the 
hands, or moving the toes from the chalk line. 



GYMNASTICS. 



67 




THE LONG REACH. 

A line is to be marked on tlie floor, to which botli feet, or rather, the 
ioes of both your feet are to be brought, and beyond which they must not 

pass. One hand, either right 
or left, at option, is then to 
be thrown forward (without 
toucliing the floor in its pas- 
eage) so far and no farther 
than you can spring back 
again from the horizontal 
"^-^ position to the original up 
right position of the body, 
without disturbing the stated 
posture of tlie feet, or scraping the floor with the hand in the back-spring. 
The distance, at which different persons can thus spring back ficom the 
hand, will, of course, differ according to their length of arm, or their 
strength and activity. 

Wiien you have ascertained the distance at which you can recover with- 
out scraping the liand, or clianging the original position of your feet, you 
jsiust stretch forward as far as possible ; and whilst yoi?r body is supported 
hy th.e hand on the floor, chalk as far as possible with the other; after this, 
rise up from your hand and recover your original position, without touching 
the ground again with either hand. There is great scope for skill and ac- 
tivity in this feat, and there are persons not exceeding Ave feet, or five feet 
and a few inches, who will chalk considerably further than others six feet 
iiigh. The great art is, to bring yoiar body as near to the floor as possible ; 
for which purpose, it is recommended, (and allowable,) to move the feet 
backward from the line of demarcation, as far as you can, which will bring 
the body much lower than it is in the tigure, and enable you to chalk, at 
least, the full length of yourself, which is considered pretty good chalking^, 
although there are persons who will exceed the distance very considerably^. 
Those Avho perform this trick the best, contrive, when on the stretch, that 
the body may rest upon the elbow. 

CHAIRING THE LEG. 

Place the left foot on the lower back rail of a chair, then pass your right 
leg over the back of the chair, and bring it to the floor between the chair 
and your left leg- This is to be done without touching the chair witii your 
hand. 

In doing this trick, the chair should not stand upon a slippery floor, a^ it 
inay move from under you, and cause a fall; a heavy chair should also be 
selected, and great care taken while performing it. 
£ 2 



68 



GYMNASTICS. 




THE TURN-OVER. 

In performing this feat, it is necessary to take a run of half-a-dozen 
paces. The trick is to place the toe of the right foot against the wall, 

about the heiglit of the knee from the 
ground, and to throw the left leg over 
it, making an entire revolution, so 
that when your left leg reaches the 
ground, your back will be to the wall. 
The toe of the right foot is the point 
upon which you must turn; and it 
must not quit the wall during the 
performance of the exploit. To per- 
form the turn-over appears to be a 
matter of considerable difficulty, at 
the first glance of the description; 
but it may be attempted by a lad of 
tolerable activity, who has made him- 
self master of the instructionsjwithout 
danger, and, in a short time, accoraplislied with facility. Ordinary care 
must, of course, be taken during the early attempts. 

TRIAL OF THE THUMB. 

This feat is very simple. Place the inside of the thumb against the 
edge of a table, and then move your feet backward as far as you can 

from the table, so as to be able to re- 
cover your upright position by the 
spring of your thumb without moving 
your feet. You may accomplish this 
feat with much greater ease, if, pre- 
viously to springing from the thumb, 
you make two or three bends to and 
fro with your body. Neither the fin- 
gers, nor any part of the hand, except 
the thumb, should touch the table. It 
is advisable to begin by making the 
spring with your feet at a short dis- 
tance only from the table at first, and 
' to draw them further from it gradual- 
ly as you improve in the performance 
of the feat. The table from which you spring ought to be a heavy one, or 
the opposite end of it placed close against a wall, otherwise you may push 
it back when making your spring ; in which case, a fall on tlie hands and 
knees would be almost inevitable. 




GYMNASTICS. 



69 



THE PALM-SPRING. 

A feat, which affords excellent exercise, something similar to the 
Thumb-trick, is performed by standing with your face toward a wall 

and throwing yourself forward, until 
you support yourself from falling, by 
the palm of one of the hands being 
placed, with the fingers upward, against 
tlie wallj when in this position, you 
must recover your former erect station 
by springing from yom* hand, without 
bringing your feet forward. Accord- 
ing to the greater or less distance you 
stand from the wall, the more or less 
difficult the feat will be. As in the 
feat of the Trial of the Thumb, it is 
better to begin the performance of the 
Palm-spring at a short distance only 
from the wall, at first ; by practice, if you are active and resolute, you may, 
at last, rise with ease with your feet placed full two-thirds of your own height 
distant from the wall. 




THE STOOPING STRETCH. 

This feat, in which considerable agility may be acquired by practice, 
is performed in the following manner : draw a line on the floor, against 

which place the outer edge of the right 
foot ; at a moderate distance behind 
the right heel, place the left heel 
against the line. Take a piece of 
chalk in the right hand, stoop a little 
forward, pass the right hand between 
the legs immediately under the right 
knee, and challi the floor as far beyoad 
the line as you can, so that you can re^ 
cover yourself without moving the toes 
of the feet, or touching the ground with 
either of your hands. In this case 
there is no spring from the hand, as the 
chalk only, which is held between tlie 
two fore-fingers, touches the floor. Your knee and body may project over 
the chalk Ime, if your feet keep tlieir proper place, as above directed, on tlie 
outer side of it. 




70 



GYMNASTICS, 




TDMBLE-DOWN DTCX. 

This feat must be performed with a long-backed chair ; place the knees 
Oft the extremity of the feet of the chair, ir^ the position indicated by th& 

cut, and, with your two liands, take 
hold about the seat rail ; bring 
your face down to touch tlie back 
of the chairy upon which, at the 
extremity, or as near as you can< 
come without falling forward, or 
suifei'ing the top of the chair to 
touch the floor, a piece of money^ 
or &c. is placed,, which is to be 
removed with the nioutli. Muck 
of the management in this trick 
depends upon properly regulating, 
the position cf the hands, which 
may be shifted as you find neces- 
sary, up or doAvn the upright pieces which form the hack of tlie chair. 
strong, old-fashioned kitchen chair is the best for tliis purpose. 

THE FINGER-FE.AT. 

Your arms must be horizontally placed across the breast, and close to it j. 
the f()re-ting(irs of each hand hmst then be brought into contact. In this 
position another person m^ust endeavour to separate ycur fingers ])y pulling 
at each arm. However mu(;h stronger lie maybe than yoUylie will not be 
hiiie to detach your fingers, if you hold them properly. It nuist be -agreed^ 
j)ievJously, that the j)erson who attem]:ts to separate the lingers of tlie other 
siiall not use a sudden jerk, but a regular force 

TWO TO ONE. 

With the skip})ing-rope several excellent exercises may be performed | 
tlie best, perhaps, is the f >llowing. Skip in the common way for a few 
seconds, constantly increasing your velocity of moveuient, and, at length,, 
leaf) tolerably high, and whirl the rope round so fist that it may pass twice 
imder your feet before they touch the ground ; continue this until you can 
repeat it several times in succession, and, at last, pass the rope three times, 
instead of twice, under your feet during the leap. 

LIFTING AT ARM's LENGTH. 

Elevating a pole at arm's length has long been accounted a superior feat ; 
to do this, the arm must be stretched out at full length, the pole (the poker 
will do to begin with) grasped with the nails upward, and elevated in a 
right line with the arm. 



GYMNASTICS. 



71 




LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK. 

Much care must be taken in this, as well as in " The Tumble-down 
Dick " feat, lest you hurt yourself. Procure a chair that is strong, and, at 

the same time, so narrow in the 
back that you can bestride it with 
ease ; staad on the seat, push with 
your hands against the top rail, and 
yom* knees against the middle one, 
until you get it tilted on its back 
legs ; but before you lose your foot- 
ing, leap from the seat, so as to 
alight on the ground, still holding 
the top rail in your hand, and the 
back of the chair between your 
legs. We repeat that great caution 
is necessary at first, but after a lit- 
tle practice, the feat is very easy. 
Without confidence in your owii 
powers, it can never be performed ; 
to give you this necessary confidence, be assured that hundreds have sujo- 
ceeded in achieving it. 

THE GREAT WOODEN BALL. 

Casting the wooden ball is a very good recreation. A large wooden 
bowler, in which several holes are bored, is used for this purpose. Place 
your thumb in one of these holes, and your middle, or fore-finger, in anoth- 
er, and cast it, under-handed, either at a mark or for a distance. The com- 
mon bowl used in skittle-alleys, (we do not mean those used for nine-pins,) 
will afford a pattern ; the maker must, however, remember that its dimen- 
sions are to be decreased, it being too heavy, and the finger-lioles too far 
apart for the use of boys. It ought to be adapted in size, to the age of those 
persons for whose use it is intended. 

THE TANTALUS TRICK. 

An amusing scene may be produced by requesting a person to stand 
with his back close against the wall, and, when in this position, placing a 
piece of money on the ground, a short distance before him, and offering it 
to him if he can pick it up without moving his heels from the wall. This, 
lie will find, is impossible, as, on stooping forward, a part of the body 
goes back beyond tiie heels, which, in this case, the wall will, of course, 
prevent. 



72 



GYMNASTICS. 




TO TAKE A CHAIR FROM UNDER YOU WITHOUT FALLING. 

The figure represents a youth with the back part of his head resting 
on one stout chair, and his heels upon another, and a third chair, which 

ought to be of rather 
a lighter make, is 
placed under him. 
He must stiffen his 
body and limbs, throw 
up the chest, keep the 
shoulders down, and 
disengage the middle 
chair, which he must 
carry round over his 
oody until he deposit it again under him on the opposite side. This is an- 
other of tiiose feats which seem very difficult, but which are, in fact, easy 
of execution. Be assured that if yon do not succeed in it, provided the micf- 
dle chair be not too heavy for your strength, it is because you have not suf- 
ficiently attended to the instructions. 

THE POKER PUZZLE. 

This feat is to be performed with a common fire- 
poker, which you must hold near the top, between the 
fingers and tl^umb, as shown in the annexed cut. You 
must then, by tlie mere motion of the fingers and thumb, 
work or screw the poker upward, until the slender part is 
moved up to the hand, whilst the poker remains perpen- 
dicular during the whole process. For the first few times 
that this is attempted to be done, considerable difficulty 
will be met with, as it not only requires strengtli in the 
fingers, proportionate to the weight of the poker, but also 
a certain knack, which is only to be acquired by prac- 
tice. We have seen some persons perform the poker 
puzzle, apparently without the least exertion, while otliers 
of equal strength have tried their utmost, and failed in the 
execution of it at last. 

THE PULLEY, 

Fasten a common pulley to a horizontal piece of wood, or the branch 
of a tree ; run a cord through it, with a cross piece of wood at each end ; 
two boys take hold of these cross pieces, — one lies on his back, and the 
other pulls him up, sinking himself as he raises his companion ; he, in 
turn, is elevated in the same manner, and thus each sinks and is raised 
alternately. 




GYMNASTICS. 



73 




BREAST TO MOUTH. 

Many persons find much difficulty in performing this feat. Measure 
the distance between the outside of the elbow and the extremity of the 

longest finger : mark that distance 
on a walking-stick or ruler, as 
shown by Fig. 2. Tliis stick must 
be held horizontally before you, as 
in the annexed sketch. Fig. 1 ; the 
middle finger being placed exactly 
over the mark ; the fingers must 
be kept at right angles with the 
stick, and the thumb placed over 
them, as shown by the fist grasping 
the stick. (Fig. 2.) Holding the 
stick in this position you must, 
without changing the place of your 
fingers, lowering your head, or re- 
moving your elbow from your side, endeavour to raise the left end of the 
stick fiom your breast to yom* mouth. 

THE CATCH-PENNY. 

This is a trick with which many of our young friends are, doubtless^ 
well acquainted; there ai*e others of ihem who never heard of it, and we 

therefore give a sufiiciently minute 
description of the manner of doing 
it, for the benefit of those who are 
in the latter case. 

Place two, three, or even four 
penny pieces, in a heap, on your 
elbow, as in cut ; drop your elbow 
suddenly, and bring yom* hand to 
a little below where your elbow 
was, and you may catch them all. 
It is impossible, however, to ac- 
complish this, unless you bring 
your hand exactly beneath tlie 
place of your elbow, and perform the motion with quickness. 




Walking on stilts is practised by the shepherds of the Landes, or desert;^ 
in the South of France. The habit is acquired early, and the smaller the 



74 



GYMNASTICS. 



boy is, the longer it is necessary to have his suits. By means of these odd 
additions to the natural leg, the feet are kept out of the water, which lies 
deep during winter on the sands, and from the heated sand during the sum- 
mer ; in addition to which, the sphere of vision over so perfect a flat is ma- 
terially increased by the elevation, and the shepherd can see his sheep much 
further on stilts than he could from the ground. Stilts are easily construct- 
ed : two poles are procured, and at some distance from their ends, a loop of 
leather or rope is securely fastened ; in these the feet are placed, the poles 
are kept in a proper position by the hands, and put forward by the action of 
the legs. A superior mode of making stilts is by substituting a piece of wood, 
flat on the upper surface, for the leather loop ; the foot rests on and is fas- 
tened by a strap to it; a piece of leather or rope is also nailed to the stilt, 
and passed round the leg just below the knee ; stilts made in this manner 
do not reach to the hands, but are managed entirely by the feet and legs. 
In many parts of England, boys and youth frequently amuse themselves by 



SMamiwi on stilts. 




SWIMMING. 




" This is the purest exercise of health, 
The kind refresher of the summer heats." 

THOMSON. 



Man, it is supposed, possesses all the requisite powers for swiniming. 
and could traverse deep waters like other animals, were he not deprived 
of the use of such powers by fear, the effect of prejudice, precipitation or 
impatience. Courage has frequently enabled persons to swim at the first 
attempt, wliile excessive timidity has prevented others, for a long time, 
fi'om being able to keep themselves, even for a few moments, afloat. Swim- 
ming has now become an art, and certain rules may be given for its at- 
tainment, by the aid of which, and a little practice, the most timid may 
eventually acquire the delightful power of "sporting in the silver flood." 
" In addition to its advantages as a healthy and bracing exercise, humanity 
alone, the pleasure of being not only able to preserve our own lives, but 
those of otliers, ought certainly to be sufficient inducement to acquire a dex- 
terity in this most useful art. When it is considered that ours is a country 
having the ocean for its frontier, and that in the interior there is none in 
the world more abounding in rivers, brooks, lakes, and artificial canals ; 
and when it is recollected that England is the first maritime nation in the 
world, it may seem surprising that such a proportionately small number of 
its inhabitants can swim. It might have been much more naturally iiv 



76 SWIMMING. 

ferred, that every inhabitant of our island felt almost as much at ease in the 
water as on dry ground. The upsetting of the slender boats of the natives 
ofOtaheite, is to them a subject of merriment; they swim about, take 
hold of the light vessel, right her again, and paddle away, never consider- 
ing they have been in any danger. Were the practice of swimming uni- 
versal in this country, and it might be so, we should hardly ever read of 
deaths by drowning." It would be useless to enlarge fuilher upon the ad- 
vantages to be derived from acquiring this art ; they must be evident to the 
most inexperienced. 

Before we proceed to those rules by which our youthful readers may be 
enabled to attain proficiency, we conceive that we shall be conferring a 
benefit on them by offering to their notice some extracts from Doctor 
Buchan's remarks, and tlie excellent advice of the celebrated philosopher, 
Doctor Franklin, on this subject. 

DOCTOR buchan's REMARKS. 

*' Immersion in cold water is a custom which lays claim to the most re- 
tnote antiquity ; indeed, it must be coeval with man himself. The necessity 
of water for the purpose of cleanliness, and the pleasure arising from its ap- 
plication to the body in hot countries, must have very early recommended it 
to the human species. Even the example of other animals was sufficient to 
give the hint to man ; by instinct many of them are led to apply cold water 
in this manner ; and some, when deprived of its use, have been known to 
languish, and even to die. 

" The cold bath recommends itself in a variety of cases, and is peculiarly 
beneficial to the inhabitants of populous cities, who indulge in idleness, 
and lead sedentary lives. It accelerates the motion of the blood, promotes 
the different secretions, and gives permanent vigor to the solids. But all 
these important purposes will be more essentially answered by the appli- 
cation of salt water. This ought not only to be preferred on account of 
its superior gravity, but likewise for its greater power of stimulating the 
skin, which promotes the perspiration, and prevents the patient from catch- 
ing cold. 

" It is necessary, however, to observe, that cold bathing is more likely to 
prevent than to remove obstructions o^^e glandular or lymphatic system ; 
indeed, when these have arrived at a certain height, they are not to be re- 
moved by any means. In this case, the cold bath will only aggravate the 
symptoms, and hurry the unhappy patient into an untimely grave ; it is, 
therefore, of the utmost importance, previously to the patient's entering upon 
tlie use of the cold bath, to determine whether or not he labors under any 
obstinate obstruction of the lungs or other viscera : and, where this is tlie 
case, cold bathing ought strictly to be prohibited. 



SWIMMING, 77 

" In what is called a pletlioric state, or too great fulness of the body, it 
IS likewise dangerous to use the cold bath, without due preparation. In 
this case, there is great danger of bursting a blood-vessel, or occasioning an 
inflammation. 

" The ancient Greeks and Romans, we are told, when covered with sweat 
and dust, used to plunge into rivers without receiving the smallest injury. 
Though they might escape danger from this imprudent conduct, yet it was 
certainly contrary to soimd reason. Many robust men have thrown away 
their lives by such an attempt. We would not, however, advise patients to 
go in the cold water when the body is chilled ; as much exercise, at least, 
ought to be taken, as may excite a gentle glow all over the body, but by no 
means so as to overheat it. 

*' To young people, and particularly to children, cold bathing is of the ut- 
most importance ; it promotes their growth, increases their strength, and 
prevents a variety of diseases incidental to childhood. 

*' It is, however, necessary here, to caution young men against too fre- 
quent bathing ; as many fatal consequences have resulted from the daily 
practice of plunging into rivers, and continuing there too long. 

" The most proper time of the day for using the cold bath, is, no doubt, 
the morning, or, at least, before dinner ; and the best mode, that of quick 
immersion. As cold bathing has a constant tendency to propel the blood, 
and other humors, towards the head, it ought to be a rule always to wet 
that part as soon as possible. By due attention to this circumstance, there is 
reason to believe, that violent headaches, and other complaints which fre- 
quently proceed from cold bathing, might be often prevented. 

" The cold bath, when too long continued in, not only occasions an ex- 
cessive flux of humors toward the head, but chills the blood, cramps the 
muscles, relaxes the nerves, and wholly defeats the intention of bathing. 
Hence, by not adverting to this circumstance, expert swimmers are often in- 
jured, and sometimes, even lose their lives. All the beneficial purposes of 
cold bathing are answered by one immersion at a time ; and the patient 
ought to be rubbed dry the moment he comes out of the water, and should 
continue to take exercise for sometime after." 

DOCTOR franklin's ADVICE TO SWIMMERS. 

" The only obstacle to improvement, in this necessary and life-preserving 
art, is fear; and it is only by overcoming this timidity, that you can expect 
to become a master of the following acquirements. It is very common for 
novices in the art of swimming to make use of corks or bladders to assist in 
keeping the body above water ; some have utterly condemned the use of 
them ; however, they may be of service for supporting the body, while one 
is learning what is called the stroke, or that manner of drawing in and strik- 
ing out the hands and feet, tliat is necessary to produce progressive motion. 



78 SWIMMING. 

But you will be no swimmer till you can place confidence in the power of 
the water to support you ; I would, therefore, advise the acquiring that con- 
fidence in the first place ; especial!}^ as I have known several, who, by a 
little practice necessary for that purpose, have insensibly acquired the 
Stroke, taught as if it were by nature. The practice I mean is this : choos- 
ing a place where the water deepens gradually, walk coolly into it till it is 
up to your breast ; then turn round y(;ur fiice to the shore, and throw an 
egg into the water between you and the shore ; it will sink to the bottom, 
and be easily seen there if tlie water be clean. It must lie in the water so 
deep that you cannot reach to take it up but by diving for it. To encourage 
yourself, in order to do this, reflect that your progress will be from deep to 
shallow water, and that at any time you may, by bringing your legs under 
you, and standing on the bottom, raise your head far above the water; then 
plunge under it with your eyes open, which must be kept open before going 
under, as you cannot open tlie eyelids for the weight of water above you ; 
throwing yourself toward the egg, and endeavouring, by the action of your 
hands and feet against the w^ater, to get forward, till within reach of it. In 
this attempt you will find that the water buoys you up against your inclina- 
tion ; that it is not so easy to sinK as you imagine, and that you cannot, but 
by active force get down to the egg. Thus you feel the power of water to 
support you, and learn to confide in that power, while your endeavours to 
overcome it, and reach the egg, teach you the manner of acting on the water 
with your feet and hands, which action is afterward used in swimming to 
support yom- head higher above the water, or to go forward through it. 

" 1 would the more earnestly press you to the trial of this method, be>- 
cause, though I think I shall satisfy you that your body is lighter than water, 
and that you might float in it a long time with your mouth free for breathing, 
if you would put yourself into a proper posture, and would be still, and for- 
bear struggling ; yet, till you have obtained this experimental confidence in 
the water, I cannot depend upon your having the necessary presence of 
mind to recollect the posture and the directions I gave you relating to it. 
The surprise may put all out of your mind, 

" Though the legs, arms, and head of a human body being solid parts, 
are, specifically, somewhat heavier than fresh water, yet the trunk, particu- 
larly the upper part, for its hollowness, is so much lighter than water, as that 
the whole of the body, taken altogether^ijs too light to sink wholly under wa- 
ter, but some part will remain above, until the lungs become filled with 
water, which happens from drawing water to them instead of air, when a 
person, in the fright, attempts breathing, while the mouth and nostrils are 
under water. 

" The legs and arms are specifically lighter than salt water, and will be 
supported by it, so that a human body cannot sink in salt water, though tlie 
lungs were filled as above, but from the greater specific gravity of the head. 



SWIMMING. 79 

Therefore, a person throwing himself on his back in salt water, and extend- 
ing his arms, may easily lay so as to keep his mouth and nostrils free for 
breathing ; and, by a small motion of his hand, may prevent turning, if he 
should perceive any tendency to it. 

*' In fresh water, if a man throw himself on his back, near the surface, he 
Cannot long continue in that situation but by proper action of his hands on 
the water ; if he use no such action, tlie legs and lower part of the body will 
gradually sink till he come into an upright position, in which he will con- 
tinue suspended, the hollow of his breast keeping the head uppermost. 

" But if, in this erect position, the head be kept upright above the shoul- 
ders, as when we stand on tlie ground, the immersion will, by the weight of 
that part of the head that is out of the water, reach above the mouth and 
nostrils, perhaps a little above the eyes, so tliat a man cannot long remain 
suspended in water, with his head in that position. 

" The body continuing suspended as before, and upright, if the head be 
leaned quite back, so that the face look upward, all the back part of the 
head being under water, and its weight, consequently, in a great measm-e 
supported by it, the face will remain above water quite free for breathing, 
will rise an inch higher every inspiration, and sink as much every expira- 
tion, but never so low as that the water may come over the mouth. 

" If, therefore, a person unacquainted with swimming, and falling acci- 
dentally into the water, could have presence of mind sufficient to avoid strug- 
gling and plunging, and to let the body take this natural position, he might 
continue long safe from drowning, till, perhaps, help should come ; for, as to 
the clothes, their additional weight when immersed is very inconsiderable, 
the water supporting it ; though, when he comes out of the water, he would 
find them very heavy indeed. 

" But, as I said before, I would not advise you, or any one, to depend on 
having this presence of mind on such an occasion, but learn fairly to swim, 
as I wish all men were taught to do in their youth ; they would, on many 
occasions, be the safer for having that skill ; and, on many more, the hap- 
pier, as free from painful apprehensions of danger, to say nothing of the en- 
joyment in so delightful and wholesome an exercise. Soldiers particularly 
should, methinks, all be taught to swim ; it might be of frequent use, either 
in surprising an enemy or saving themselves ; and if I had now boys to ed- 
ucate, I should prefer those schools (other things being equal) where an op- 
I)ortunity was afforded for acquiring so advantageous an art, which, once 
earned, is never forgotten. 

" I know by experience, that it is a great comfort to a swimmer, who has 
a considerable distance to go, to turn himself sometimes on his back, and 
to vary, in other respects, tlie means of procuring a progressive motion. 

** When he is seized with the cramp in the leg, tlie method of driving it 



80 SWIMMING. 

away is, to give the parts affected a sudden, vigorous, and violent shocl^;, 
which he may do in the air as he swims on his back. 

'' During the great heats in summer thei'e is no danger in bathing, how- 
ever warm we may be, in rivers whicli have been thoroughly warmed by 
the sun. But to throw one's self into cold spring water, when the body has 
been heated by exercise in the sun, is an imprudence which may prove fatal. 
I once knew an instance of four young men, who, having worked at harvest 
in the heat of the day, with a view of refreshing themselves, plunged into a 
spring of cold water ; two died upon the spot, a third next morning, and the 
fourth recovered with great difficulty. A copious draught of cold water, 
in similar circumstances, is frequently attended with the same effect, in 
North America. 

" The exercise of swimming is one of the most healthj and agreeable in 
the world. After having swam for an hour or two in the evening, one sleeps 
coolly the whole night, even during the most ardent heats of summei'. Per- 
haps the pores being cleansed, the insensible perspiration increases and 
occasions this coolness. It is certain that much swimming is the means of 
stopping a diarrhoea, and even of producing a constipation. With respect 
to those who do not know how to swim, or who are affected with a diarrhoea 
at a season which does not permit them to use that exercise, a warm bath, by 
cleansing and purifying the skin, is found very salutary, and often effects a 
radical cure. I speak from my own experience, frequently repeated, and 
that of others to whom I have recommended this. 

'' When I was a boy, I amused myself one day with flying a paper kite, 
and approaching the banks of a lake, which was near a mile broad, 1 tied 
the string to a stake, and the kite ascended to a very considerable height 
above the pond, while I was swimming. In a little time, being desirous of 
amusing myself with my kite, and enjoying at the same time the pleasure of 
swimming, I returned, and loosing from the stake the string with the little 
stick which was fastened to it, went again into the water, where I found that, 
lying on my back, and holding the stick in my hand, I was drawn along the 
surface of the water in a very agreeable manner. Having then engaged 
another boy to carry my clothes round the pond, to a place which I pointed 
out to him, on the other side, I began to cross the pond with my kite, which 
carried me quite over without the least fatigue, and with the greatest plea- 
sure imaginable. I was only obliged occasionally to halt a little in my 
course, and resist its progress, when it appeared that, by following too quick, 
I lowered the kite too much ; by doing which occasionally I made it rise 
again. I have never since that time practised this singular mode of swim- 
ming, though I think it not impossible to cross, in this manner, from Dover 
to Calais. The packet-boat, however, is still preferable." 



SWIMMING. 



81 




PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS. 



We will now suppose one of onr young friends by the side of a stream, 
and anxious to take his first lesson in the art of swimming-. If he have any 
friend or companion with him, who is at once competent and willing to give 
him the necessary directions, he will do well to follow them ; as example in 
this, and similar cases, is much better than precept. But if he should not 
be so fortunate, he can either adopt the excellent method mentioned by 
Doctor Franklin, as stated in a preceding page, or follow the instructions 
which we are about to give him on the subject. 

ENTERING THE WATER. 

Our young pupil must not, at first, venture into the water in the bold 
and dashing manner of experienced swimmers. He must wait patiently 
until he can do so without danger. Let him remember that there has been 
a time when the best swimmer alive, tottered, step by step, into the water, 
and sounded tlie depth with one foot before he lifted the other from the bot- 
tom of the stream. Leander himself, with whose history and fate our juve- 
nile readers who are tolerably advanced in the classics are, doubtless, ac- 
quainted, — Leander himself, we repeat, who so often swam across the 
Hellespont, once paddled in a pond ; and those who, under our directions, 
make their first attempt to buoy themselves up by their own natural powers, 
in a shallow brook, may, hereafter, become lusty swimmers enough to per- 
form the same feat of which Lord Byron was so proud, namely, crossing the 
Hellespont, as Leander did in the days of " hoar antiquity." We recom- 
mend our young friend to be patient, as well as persevering, during hid 
probation in the art of swimming. He must not feel disgusted and disheart- 
ened, because he seems to make compai-atively but little progress : let mm 

V 



82 



SWIMMING. 



remember that lie is gradually acquiring a new and most important power 5 
he is, by degrees, obtaining a mastery over the waters. It was well ob- 
served by a writer of great discernment, that nothing which is worth learn- 
ing is compassed Avithout some difficulty and application ; that it is well 
worth some pains and trouble to render one's self fearless of falling into a 
river, in which two out of three of our fellow-countrymen would, in a similar 
situation, without assistance, be drowned, must be admitted ; — let not that 
trouble, therefore, be grudged. 

Previously to entering the water, the head and neck should be well 
wetted ; the pupil should then advance, by a clear shelving bank, in some 
stream, the depth of which he has ascertained by plumbing or otherwise, 
until he is breast iiigh ; then let him face about toward the bank, and 
prepare to make his first essay in tliis art, as directed in the next paragraph. 



STRIKING OUT. 

With his face turned toward the bank, as above directed, let the pupil 
lie down gently on his breast, keep his head and neck upright, his breast 

advanced, and his 
back bent inward. 
Then, let him with- 
draw his legs from 
the bottom, and im- 
mediately strike them 
out, not downward, 
but behind him; strike 
out the arms forward, 
with the palms closed, 
and the backs upper- 
most, a little below 
the surface of the 
water ; draw them back again, while he is gathering up his legs for a 
second attempt, and thus push forward, making use of his hands and feel 
alternately. It will, perhaps, happen, that he will swallow water in his 
first efforts, but this should not discourage him : neither should he fancy that, 
because he makes but little advances, he is not as capable of learning to swim 
aui others ; the same little mishaps occur to all young beginners. 




CORKS AND BLADDERS. 



The use of corks and bladders, for those who are learning to swim, is as 
strongly recommended by some ^lersons, as it is deprecated by others. 
That the necessary action with tlie arms and legs may be acquired more 
easily with than without them, is clear enough ; nevertheless, we ai'e con- 



SWIMMING. 



83 



vinced by experience, that it is better to learn how to keep one's self afloat, 
and to be able to swim ten or a dozen yards, at least, no matter how 
ckimsily, without them. We have seen several young persons who, after 
having attained the necessary action, in a very superior manner, by the 
use of corks or bladders, were totally unable to keep their heads above 
the water when they relinquished their aid, and were thus left precisely in 
the same situation in which they would have been, had they not made a 
single attempt in the art of swimming. We have, it is true, known some 
trifling exceptions, but tliey have been rare indeed. Corks and bladders, we 
tliink, may be useful, but tliey should not be commenced with. After the 
learner has made some progress, and is able to cross a narrow stream, 
corks and bladders may be occasionally adopted, for a short time, in order 
that the pupil, by means of their support, may, at his ease, perfect himself 
in the action necessary for superior swimming, especially with the arms 
and hands. The action of the legs may be much better acquired by 
means of the plank, as hereafter directed. The best swimmers we have 
ever met never made use of corks for this purpose, but still they may be 

considered of advan- 
tage in the manner 
we have stated. If 
therefore, our reader 
should think fit to use 
corks or bladders, let 
him attend to the fol- 
lowing hints. 

Swimming corks 
are made thus : three 
or four round slices 
of cork, increasing 
progressively in circumference, are run, by a hole made in their centres, on 
each end of a piece of stout rope, whidi is long enough to reach a(!ross 
tlie breast, and beyond the arm-pits ; the same number of corks is placed 
at each side of the rope, and they are kept from slipping off by knots at 
the two extremities. When bladders are used, they are blown full of 
air, tied at the necks, and fastened by sti'ings to tlie ends of the rope, in- 
stead of corks. 

The manner of using corks or bladders is as follows : — the pupil places 
his breast across the rope between the corks or bladders as they float ; he 
raises his legs from the ground, and rests his v4iole weight on the rope, so 
that the corks or bladders swim between his arms and his sides. In this 
position he strikes out, and propels himself forward witli his legs and feet* 
The action of the hands and arms supports a swimmer only, so that he 

f2 




84 ^~" SWIMMING. 

would advance almost as much when using corks if he kept them still as if 
he moved them ; nevertheless, their action may be perfected, while the body 
is supported by the corks, and the young swimmer may acquire that grace- 
ful, steady, and powerful manner of striking out, which he may, subsequent- 
ly, by degrees, bring into practice, when he has thrown the corks aside. 
The writer of these pages has buffeted the billows at a mile or two from 
land, where the waters have been moved by, what an angler calls, a curling 
breeze, with a pleasure which those, and those alone, who have revelled in 
tlie strong bosom of the sea, can imagine ; and what is more difficult, he has 
swam the still torpid deeps of an inland lake, in a dead calm ; and although, 
perhaps, not an excellent, has been a very tolerable, swimmer in his time, 
and this is the manner which he has always followed, and which he recom- 
mends his young friends to adopt, of strik ing out with the arms. The fingers 
are to be closed, and the thumbs kept close to the hand, which should be 
straightened, or rather, a little hollowed in the palm ; the hands are then 
to be brought together, the two thumbs touching, or palm to palm, it is 
little matter which, and raised just under the^hin ; they are then to be struck 
vigorously forward, and when the arms are a* their full stretch, parted, and , 
carried slowly and regularly, a little below the surface of the water, at the 
full stretch of the arms, backward, as far as convenience will permit; they 
should then sink toward the hips ; by a slight pressure on the water, as they 
descend, the body will be raised, the head may be thrown back, and tlie 
breath drawn in for the next stroke. When the hands are at, or near, the 
hips, they should be raised, with the thumbs or edges, but by no means the 
backs, upward, to the first position ; while doing this, the legs are to be 
di-awn up as near the body as possible, and the soles of the feet struck out 
against the water with reasonable force, at the same moment the hands are 
thrust forward again. This is, in fact, the whole principle of swimming : — 
tlie arms are first thrust forward, and the body propelled by the force of the 
soles of the feet, striking against the water ; the air in the lungs is expired 
or breathed forth during this action ; the hands are then stretched out and 
carried round so as to lift the body (which wants no support during the time 
it is propelled by the legs, and the lungs are nearly full of air,) while the 
legs are drawn up, and the lungs filled with air for a second effort. These 
very simple motions will seem difficult and complicated to the young swim» 
mer at first, but by degrees he will learn to perform them with facility. 
Above all things, let him endeavour to do them deliberately and without 
being flurried. It is a fact, that a swimmer, who is apparently slow in his 
action, makes more progress by half than one who is quick. The former is 
deliberate and vigorous ; the latter hurried, less effectual, and soon becomes 
fe.tigued. A tyro in the art will make ten efforts during the time occupied 
by an adept in performing one, and at the same time will scaicely make 
one half the progress. 



SWIMMING. 



85 



We seriously recommend our young readers never to venture out of theif 
depths with corks, if they cannot swim without them. We once knew a 
very promising youth who was nearly drowned, when in deep water, by the 
corks slipping from his breast to below his waist, so that his loins, and, at 
last, his legs, were above water, while his head was beneath ; he was ex- 
tricated from this perilous situation by a youth of his own age, who had be- 
gun to learn the art of swimming, but without corks, on precisely the same 
day as the lad who was thus in danger of being drowned. It vi^ould be well, 
if a string were tied by its middle to each end of the rope, close to the largest 
cork, and one end of it brought over the shoulder at the back, the other in 
front, and fastened securely together ; this would, at least, prevent the corks 
from getting out of their proper places. 

THE PLANK. 

The plank is useful in a bath, to perfect the young swimmer in the 
manner of properly throwing out his legs and feet. A piece of plank, about 

ten or twelve feet in 
.. .. ._ ^ . length , two inches thick , 

and a foot and a half, 
or two feet broad, is 
the best size. It is to 
be thrown into the wa- 
ter, and the pupil, after 
he has acquired the art 
of supporting himself 
for a short time, with>- 
out any artificial aids, 
should take hold of one 
of its ends with both hands ; his body will thus be supported, and he should 
strike out with his legs in the manner before directed, and endeavour to 
drive the plank before him, taking care to hold fast and follow it closely, 
otherwise he may suffer rather an unpleasant feeling by the plank darting 
forward, and leaving him to sink, unexpectedly, over head and ears in the 
xvater. Of tlie utility of the plank for the purpose above mentioned, we 
have frequently been witness, and can, therefore, most confidently recom- 
mend it to those of our young readers who have an inclination to learn the 
art of swimming by occasional or preliminary artificial aids. 

THE ROPE, AND OTHER AIDS. 

The rope for swimmers is usually fastened to the end of a stout piece of 
wood, which is fixed into a wall or elsewhere, so as to project over the 
water ; the rope descends to its surface, or it may be long enough for a 
foot or sixteen inches of its extremity to sink. The use of the rope is to 




86 



SWIMMING. 



support the learner while practising the action with the legs ; but it is very 
inferior for this purpose to the plank ; as, while the pupil keeps himself 
up^ by holding tlie rope, his body remains in too perpendicular a position, 
so that he strikes downward rather than backward. The pupil should ac- 
custom himself, as much as possible, to keep his legs near the surface ; 
for those who swim with the lower extremities deep in the water never 
make such rapid way as others who adopt the proper position, which should 
be within a few degrees of horizontal. The plank has another advantage 
over the rope ; it is more steady in tlie water, and offers sufficient resistance 
to induce, and even to assist, the young beginner, as a point d'appid, to 
sti-ike out vigorously with his legs. The rope is, in fact, of more utility 
to those who go into the water to batlie, than those who are learning to 
swim ; for by means of the support which it affords, the bather may raise 

his legs from the bottom, 
and exercise himself most 
beneficially by tossing, 
stretching, and turning to 
and fro in the water ; he 
may thus luxuriate in a 
manner which would be en- 
tirely out of his power with- 
out the aid of the rope. 

The aid of the hand is 
chiefly applied to very 
young learners, who have 
the advantage of bathing 
with a grown-up swimmer .► 
It is by far superior as an 
aid, to corks or bladders; 
because it can be with- 
drawn gradually, and at 
last, altogether, so that the 
learner may feel almost insensible of its departure, and restored in an instant, 
f exertion renders him too weak to support himself. A tall, strong youth, 
or a grown-up peison, takes the little learner in his arms, and goes into the 
water breast-high with him ; he then places the pupil nearly fiat upon the 
water, sup})Oi ting him by one hand under the breast, and encouraging and 
directing him to strike out boldly, and, at the same time, correctly. After 
two or three lessons, on different days, the support of the hand may occa- 
sionally be, in some degree, withdrawn ; and, in the course of a week or ten 
days, the little swimmer will, in all probability, have no further need of its 
service. Oh ! what a happy, triumphant moment is that, when a boy first 
floats upon the water, independent of all other aids but those which Nature 




SWIMMING. 87 

has provided in his own person. He soon becomes exhausted, but, fi'om 
tliat time, he feels a confidence in himself, and his progress is generally 
most rapid. 

The aid of the rope and hand we do not so much approve as that of the 
hand alone. A rope is fastened about the learner's body, a grown person 
holds the other end of it, and supports the pupil while he acquires the mode 
of striking out. The aid, in this case, cannot be applied with such precision 
to the proper part, nor afforded and withdrawn with such nicety as where 
the hand alone is used, 

SWIMMING OUT OF DEPTH. 

We will now suppose our pupil to have made some progress in swimming, 
and to feel anxious to go into deep water. If he feel quite conscious of his 
own powers, he may venture a few strokes out of his depth, across a stream, 
for instance, which is overhead only for a few feet in the centre, with shelv- 
ing banks on each side. Young swimmers sometimes feel alarmed when 
they are aware that they have ventured where they can no longer put their 

legs on the ground; this 
feeling flurries them, they 

- - -" — ^.^ — ^ ir^^ • t=zrrr= increases, trepidation en- 
sues, and they have great 
difficulty in returning to the 
shore. We earnestly cau- 
tion our pupil against giv- 
ing way to anything of this 
sort. Before he ventures 
out of his depth, let him calculate his own powers, and attempt such a dis- 
tance only as is in proportion with them. Is he able to swim half-a-dozen 
yards without dropping his feet to the ground '? If so, he may confidently 
cross a deep place which is only half that breadth. Let him not imagine 
that he is not quite as capable of swimming in deep as in shallow water ; 
the contrary is the fact, for the deeper the water, the better he can swim. 
Above all things, let him not- hurry himself, but strike slowly and evenly, 
and keep good time with the motions of his arms, his legs, and his lungs. 
Boys frequently fall into an error, which is invariably attended with un- 
pleasant consequences, when first attempting to swim, as well as when they 
begin to venture out of depth, by losing their presence of mind, and breath- 
ing at the wrong time. They draw breath at the moment when tliey are 
striking out with their legs, instead of at the time their body is elevated by 
the hands, when at the full stretch of the arm backward, or in descending 
toward the hips. During this action of the legs, the head partially sinks, 
tiie face is driven against the water, and the mouth thus becomes filled, 




88 SWIMMING. 

which creates a very unpleasant nausea and momentary suffocation. When 
the hands are in the position above mentioned, the' progress of the body for- 
ward ceases, the face is no longer driven against the water, but is elevated 
above the surface ; then is the time to draw in the breath, which should be 
expired while the body at the next stroke is sent forward by tlie action of the 
legs. During this time, if your mouth be even with or partly under the sur- 
face, no water can enter it, the air which you are driving between your lips 
effectually preventing it. " Keep time," is one of the swimmer's golden 
rules. Unless the pupil pay attention to it, he will make but little progress, 
and must inevitably, now and then, take in a mouthful of the stream in which 
he is swimming. To those who have never swam " in the silver flood," a 
circumstance of this sort will be thought very lightly of indeed ; but we 
speak the general feelings of swimmers, when we say, that the same person 
who would relish a draught from a stream, when sitting dressed upon its 
bank, would feel the greatest disgust at taking a mouthful of the same 
water, when swimming in it. 

After tlie pupil has ventured out of his depth, and feels satisfied with 
the success of his attempt, he grows emboldened, and increases his dis- 
tances daily. 

TO TREAD WATER. 

All that is necessary for treading water, is to let your legs drop in the 
water until you are upright; then keep yourself afloat in that position by 
treading downward with your feet, alternately ; and, if necessary, paddling 
with your palms at your hips. 

TO SV^^IM ON THE SIDE. 

Lower your left side, and at the same time elevate your right ; strike 
forward with your left hand, and sidevvay with your rigiit; the back of the 
lat|4>r being in front instead of upward, the thumb side of the hand down- 
ward, so as to 5erve precisely as an oar. You will thus, by giving yoor 
l)ody an additional impetus, advance much more speedily than in the com- 
mon way ; it will also relieve you considerably when you feel tired of 
striking out forward. You may also turn on the right side, strike out 
with the right hand, and use the left as an oar. In either case, the action 
of the legs is the same as usual. 

TO SWIM LIKE A DOG. 

Strike with each hand and foot alternately; that is, begin with the right 
hand and foot, draw the hand toward the chin, and (he foot toward the body 
at the same time ; and then simultaneously kick backward witJi the foot, 
and strike out in a right line with the hand ; then do the like with the left 
hand and fwjt, and so on. The hands are not to bo carried backward as in 
tlie ordinary way of swimming, but merely thrust out with the palms down- 



SWIMMING. 89 

ward, a little way below the surface, in front only ; as they are brought back 
to the breast again, they should be rather hollowed, and the water grasped 
or pulled toward the swimmer. Much progress cannot be made by swim- 
ming in this manner, but still it is worth learning, as every change of method, 
in going a distance, recruits the swimmer's strengtli. 

THE PORPOISE. 

This is a very pleasant and most advantageous change of action. The 
right arm is lifted entirely out of the water, the shoulder thiust forward, 
and the swimmer, while striking out with his legs, reaches forward with 
his hand, as far as possible. At the utmost stretch of the arm the hand 
falls, a little hollowed, into the water, which it grasps or pulls toward the 
swimmer in its return to the body, in a transverse direction, toward the 
other armpit. While it is passing through the water in this manner, the 
legs are drawn up for another effort, and the left arm and shoulder elevated 
and thrust forward as above directed for the right. This is the greatest 
advancing relief in swimming, except swinuning on the back ; floating on 
the back rests tlie whole of the body as well as the limbs, but while float- 
ing, no progress is made ; whereas, during the time a person swims in the 
manner above directed, he will not only relieve himself considerably, but 
also make as great an advance in the water, as if he were proceeding in 
the ordinary way. 

TO SWIM AND FLOAT ON THE BACK. 

To do this, you must turn yourself on your back as gently as possible, 
elevate your breast above the surface, put your head back, so that your 

eyes, nose, mouth and chin only 
are above water. By keeping 
in this position with the legs 
and arms extended, and pad- 
dling the hands gently by the 
side of the hips, you will float. 
If you wish to swim, you must 
strike out with the legs, taking 
care not to lift your knees too 
high, nor sink your hips and sides too low ; but keeping in as straight a line 
as possible. You may lay the arms across the breast ; keep them motionless 
at the sides ; or, if you wish, strike out with them to help you on. 

To swim with your feet fonvard, while on your back, lift up your legs one 
after another, let them fall into the water, and draw them back with all the 
force you can, toward your hams j thus you will swim feet forward, and re* 
turn to the place whence you came. 




90 SWIMMING. 

To turn from yourbreast to your back, raise your legs forward, and throw 
your Iiead backward, until your body is in a right position : to change from 
the back to the breast, drop your legs, and throw your body forward on 
your breast. 

TO TURN WHEN SWIMMING. 

% If you wish to turn while on your back, keep one leg still, and embrace 
the water beside you with the other ; thus, you will find yourself turn to 
that side on which your leg by its motion embraces the water, and you will 
turn either to the right or left, according to which leg you use in this manner. 
To turn while swimming in the ordinary way requires no further effort 
tlian to incline yom- head and body to the side you would turn to ; and, at 
the same time, move and turn yom* legs, in the same manner as you would 
do, to tuin the same way on land. 

TO SHOW THE FEET. 

While on your back, bend the small of it downward; support yourself 
by moving your hands to and fro just above your breast, and stretch your 
feet above the water. 

TO BEAT THE WATER, &C. 

When swimming on your back, lift your legs out of the water one 
after another, and strike the water with them alternately. Those who are 
most expert at this, bring their chins toward their breasts at each stroke 
of the legs. 

There is a variety of similar feats performed by expert swimmers, such 
as treading water with both hands raised over the head; floating on the 
back with the arms above the sm-face ; taking the left leg in the right hand, 
out of the water, when swimming on the back ; pulling the right heel 
by the right hand, toward the back, when swimming in the common way; 
throwing somersets in the water, backward and forward, &c. &c., for 
which no particular directions are necessary, as the pupil, when he has 
grown expert in the various modes of swimming which we have described, 
will be able to do these things, and any tricks which his fancy may suggest, 
without difficulty. 



Diving, by practice, may be carried to astonishing perfection. Pearls are 
brought up from the bottom of the sea by divers who are trained to remain a 
considerable time under water. In ancient times, divers were employed in 
war to destroy the ships of (he enemy ; and many instances are related, by 
respectable authors, of men diving after, and fetching up nails and pieces of 



SWIMMING. 



91 



money thrown into the sea, and even overtaking the nail or coin before it 
lias reached the bottom. 

Diving may be performed from the surface of the water when swim- 
ming, by merely tiufning the head downward, and striking upward with 

the legs. It is, howev- 
er, much better to leap 
in, with the hands closeii^ 
above the head, and 
head foremost, from a 
pier, boat or raised 
bank. By merely strik- 
ing with the feet, and 
keeping his head toward 
the bottom, the diver 
may drive himself a con- 
siderable distance be- 
neath the surface. If 
he reach the bottom, he has only to turn his head upward, spring from the 
ground with his feet, and he will soon arrive at the surface. If desirous of 
making a more rapid ascent, he should strike downward with his feet, pull- 
ing the water above him toward his head with one hand, and striking it 
downward by his side with the other. In diving, the eyes should be open ; 
you must, therefore, take care that you do not close them, as they reach the 
surface, when you commence your descent. It is almost needless to add, 
tliat the breath should be held, the whole time that you are under water. 




SWIMMING UNDER WATER. 



Swimming between top and bottom may be accomplished by the ordinary 
stroke, if you take care to keep your head a little downward, and strike a 
little higher with your feet than when swimming on the surface ; or, you 
may turn your thumbs downward, and perform the stroke with the hands 
in that position, instead of keeping them flat. 



THE CRAMP. 

Our practical directions in the art of swimming would be incomplete 
were we to omit saying a fcAV words as to the cramp. Those who are at 
all liable to it, ought, perhaps, to abandon all idea of swimming ; men of the 
greatest skill, as swimmers, and of presence of mind in danger, having fal- 
len victims to this, which has been well enough called, "the bathers' bane." 
The cramp may, however, seize a person for the first time in his life, when 
at a distance from land ; we have frequently known this to occur ; and in 
every case that has come within our personal knowledge, with one excej)- 



92 



SWIMMING. 



tion, the sufferer has saved himself by acting as we are about to advise oup 
yoiuig reader, if ever he should be seized with this terrible contraction. 
Be assured that there is no danger, if yoti are only a tolerable swimmer, 
and do not flurry yourself. The moment you feel the cramp in your leg 
or foot, strike out the limb with all your strength, thrusting the heel out, and 
drawing the toes upward as forcibly as possible, totally regardless of the mo- 
mentary pain it may occasion. If two or three efforts of this nature do not 
succeed, throw yourself on your back, and endeavour to keep yourself afloat 
with your hands until assistance reach you ; or, if there be no hope of that, 
try to paddle ashore with your palms. Should you be imable to float on 
your back, put yourself in the position directed for treading water, and you 
may keep your head above the surface by merely striking the water down- 
ward with your hands at your hips, without any assistance from your legs. 
In case you have the cramp in both legs, you may also endeavour to make 
some progress in this manner, should no help be at ha ad. If you have one 
leg only attacked, you may drive yourself forward vith the other. In 
order to endow you with confidence in a moment of danger from an attack 
of the cramp, occasionally try to swim with one leg, or a leg and a hand, or 
tlie two hands only, and you will find that it is by no means difficult. 

We feel rather astonished that none of the treatises on swimming, 
which have fallen into our hands, recommend the practice of boys attempt- 
ing to carry one another 
in the water ; when both 
can swim, this is an excel- 
lent and safe method of 
learning how to support 
another who is in danger 
on account of cramp, 
weakness, ignorance of 
swimming, or other caus- 
es. In the annexed 
sketch, the foremost fig- 
ure is in the act of swim- 
ming, and carrying with 
him another person, who 
is borne up, simply by 
applying one hand to 
each hip of his compan- 
ion. A person, it is said, had the pleasure of saving a friend from drown- 
ing, by these means : it is attended, however, with considerable risk, espe- 
cially "if the person you venture to rescue should lose his presence of mind, 
which is too often the case with those who are in danger of being drowned. 
It will surprise any swimmei), who first tries the experiment, to find with 




SWIMMING. 93 

what ease he can support a person attached to him in this manner. The 
person, who rests upon the hips of his companion, is represented as passive, 
as he is supposed to be unable to swim ; but two swimmers, performing this 
experiment, may strike out together with their legs. 

TIMES AND PLACES FOR SWIMMING. 

Of all places to swim in, the sea is best, running waters next, and ponds 
the worst. The best time for swimming is in the months of May, June, July, 
and August. There are, however, some years, wherein it is not healthy to 
go into the v/ater during these months ; as when the weather, and conse- 
quently the water, is colder than ordinary for the season. One ought not to 
go into the water when it rains ; for the rain, if it last any time, chills the 
water, and endangers catching cold, by wetting one's clothes. The night 
is also improper for this exercise. Beware of weeds, as although you have 
company with you, yet, you may be lost beyond the possibility of help, if 
your feet get entangled among them. The bottom ought to be of gravel, or 
smooth stones, so that you may stand thereon as firmly as on the earth, and 
be neither in danger of sinking in the mud, nor wounding the feet : care 
ought also to be taken that it be even, and without holes; and, above all, 
that you know the ^epth, especially when you begin to learn ; for as it is 
then easy to tire one's self when struggling and making the first efforts, you 
should, therefore, be sure that the bottom is not out of your depth, when you 
have occasion to rest, and take breath. It is impossible to be too cautious 
when you are alone, or have no one in company that knows the pond or 
stream. When you have found out a place fit to learn in, do not venture any^ 
where else till you are considerably advanced in the art; and, till then, 
it will be the best way to exercise with some one who is already expert in 
swimming. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

In entering the water, the head should be wetted first, either by plunging 
in head foremost, or pouring water on it. Before you adopt the first method, 
ascertain if the water be sufficiently deep to allow you to dive without 
touching the bottom, otherwise you may injure yourself against it. Do not 
remain in the water too long, but come out as soon as you feel tired, chilly 
or numbed. It is a good plan to make a plunge^ so as to wet the body all 
over, to return to shore immediately, and an instant afterward enter the 
water at your ease, and take your lesson or your swim. You do not feel so 
chilly if you do this, as if you dash in and swim off at once. Never be alarm- 
ed at having a few mouthfuls of water, when learning to swim ; be not dis- 
couraged at difficulties, but bear in mind, that millions have done what you 
are attempting to do. Beware of banks which have holes in them, and ven- 
tare out of your depth only by degrees. 



94 SWIMMING. 

If one of your companions be in danger of drowning, be sure that, in en- 
deavouring to save him, yon make your approaches in such a manner, as 
will prevent him from grappling with you ; if he once get a hold of your 
limbs, you both will almost inevita])]y be lost. 

Although it has been said, that the weight of one's clothes will make but 
little difference in the Avater, yet we strongly advise the young swimmer, 
when he has become expert in tlie art, and confident of his own prowess, to 
swim occasionally w^ith his clothes on ; for this purpose, of course he need 
only use an old worn-out suit : by so doing, he will be satisfied that dress does 
not make so much difference as he might imagine, and thus he will have 
more courage and presence of mind if he should at any time afterward fall 
^ into the water, or leap in to save another. 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 




Cocker and Dilworth, Walsingame and Vyse, 

In their own sphere, by Bidder were outshone : 

They, or with pen or pencil, problems solved, — 

He, with no aid but wond'rous memory ; 

They, when of years mature, acquired their fame, — . 

He, " lisped in numbers, for the numbers came." 

The delightful and valuable science of Arithmetic first arrived at any 
degree of perfection in Europe, among the Greeks, who made use of the 
letters of the alphabet to express their numbers. A similar mode was 
followed by the Romans, who, besides characters for each rank of classes, 
introduced others for five, fifty, and five hundred, which are still used for 
chapters of books, and some other purposes. The common arithmetic, in 
which the ten Arabic figures, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, are used, was un- 
known to the Greeks and Romans, and came into Europe, by way of Spain^ 
from the Arabians, who are said to have received it from the Indians. 
It is supposed to have taken its origin from the ten fingers of the hand, 
which were made use of in computations, before arithmetic was brought 
into an art. 

The Indiana are very expert at computing without pen or ink ; and the 



96 ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

natives of Peru, ia Soutli America, who do all by the arrangement of grains 
of maize, excel the European, with the aid of all his rules and implements 
for writing. But the dexterity of those people cannot for a moment be com- 
pared with the feats of mental arithmetic exhibited by George Bidder, 
the youth, whose portrait stands at the head of this article. This astonish- 
ing boy, at a very early age, and without education, was capable of solving 
very intricate questions in arithmetic, without the use of pen, pencil, or 
writing implements of any sort, but entirely in his own mind, as correctly 
and quickly as tlie most expert person could in the common way. We 
have, personally, witnessed his ability in this respect, and among many other 
complicated questions, which were put to him, we recollect the following :— 
Sup{)osing the sim to be 95 millions of miles from the earth, and that it were 
possible for an insect, whose pace should be 7g inches per minute, to travel 
that pace how long would it take to reach the sun 1 This he mentally solved 
in a very short time. 

Several other mental arithmeticians have appeared within these fevy 
years; among the rest, Jedidiah Buxton, an illiterate peasant, who 
was never taught to read or write, appears to have been eminent. Several 
of the questions answered by this man have been recorded; among others, 
we recollect the following : — How many times will a coach-wheel, whose 
circumference is 6 yards, turn in going 204 miles '? In thirteen minutes, 
Buxton answered, — 59,840 times. Then he was asked : — Antl, supposing 
sound travels at the rate of 1142 feet per second, how long will it be before 
tile report of a cannon is heard 5 miles off '] His answer was, — 23 seconds, 
7 tiiirds, and 46 remain. On being required to multiply 456 by 378, he gave 
the product in a very short time ; and, when requested to work the question 
audibly, so that his method might be known, he multiplied 456 first by 5, 
which produced 2280 ; this he again multiplied by 20, and found the product 
45,600, which was the multiplicand multiplied by 100 ; this product he again 
multipled by 3, which produced 136,800, the product of the multiplicand 
by 300 ; it remained, therefore, to multiply this by 78, which he effected 
by multiplymg 2280, (or the product of the multiplicand multiplied by 5,) 
by 15, as 5 times 15 are 75. This product, being 34,200, he added to 
136,800, which was the multiplicand multiplied by 300, and this produced 
171,000 which was 375 times 456. To complete his operation, therefore, he 
multiplied 456 by 3, which produced 1368, and having added this number to 
171 ,000, he found the product of 456 multiplied by 378, to be 172,368. By 
this it appears, that he was so little acquainted with the common rules, as to 
multiply 456 first by 5, and the product by 20, to find what sum it would 
produce, multiplied by 100 ; whereas, had he added two ciphers to the. 
figures, he would have obtained the product at once. 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS 97 

TO TELL ANY NUBIBER THOUGHT OF. 

Desire any person to think of a number, say a certain number of 
shillings ; tell him to borrow that sum of some one in the company, and 
add the number borrowed to the amount thouglit of. It will here be pro- 
per to name the person who lends him the shillings, and to beg the one, 
who makes the calculation, to do it with great care, as he may readily fall 
into an error, especially the first time. Then, say to the person, — * I do 
not lend you, but give you 10, add them to the former sum.' Continue 
in this manner : — ' Give the half to the poor, and retain in your memory 
the other half.' Then add : — ' Return to the gentleman, or lady, what 
you borrowed, and remember that the sum lent you, was exactly equal 
to the number thought of.' Ask the person if he knows exactly what 
remains ; he will answer ' Yes.' You must then say, — ' And I know also 
the number tliat remains ; it is equal to what I am going to conceal in my 
hand.' Put into one of your hands 5 pieces of money, and desire the 
person to tell how many you have got He will answer 5; upon which, 
open your hand, and show him the 5 pieces. You may then say, — ' 1 well 
knew tliat your result was 5 ; but if you had thought of a very large 
number, for example, two or three millions, the result would have been 
much greater, but my hand would not have held a number of pieces e{|ual 
to the remainder.' The person then supposing that the result of the cal- 
culation must be different, according to the difference of the number thought 
of, will imagine that it is necessary to know the last number in order to guess 
tlie result : but this idea is false ; for, in the case which we have here sup- 
posed, whatever be the number thought of, the remainder must always be 5. 
The reason of this is as follows : — ^I'he sum, the half of which is given to 
the poor, is nothing else than twice the number thought of, plus 10 ; and 
when the poor have received their part, there remains only the number 
thought of, plus 5 ; but the number thought of is cut off when tlie sum bor- 
rowed is returned, and, consequently, there remain only 5. 

It may be hence seen, that the result may be easily known, since it 
will be the half of the number given in the third part of the operation ; 
for example, whatever be the number thought of, the remainder will be 
86, or 25 according as 72 or 50 have been given. If this trick be per- 
formed several times successively, the number given in the third part of 
the operation must be always different ; for if the result were several times 
the same, the deception might be discovered. When the five first parts of 
the calculation for obtaining a result are finished, it will be best not to name 
it at first, but to continue the operation, to render it more complex, by say- 
ing, for example : — ' Double the remainder, deduct two, add three, take the 
fourth part,' &c.; and the different steps of tlie calculation may be kept in 



98 ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

mind, in order to know how much the first result has been increased or 
diminished. This irregular process never fails to confound those who at- 
tempt to follow it. 

A SECOND METHOD. *^ 

Bid the person take 1 from the number thought of, and then double the 
remainder ; desire him to take 1 from this double, and to add to it the num- 
ber thought of; in the last place, ask him the number arising from this ad- 
dition, and, if you add 3 to it, the third of the sum will be the number 
thought of. The application of this rule is so easy, that it is needless to 
illustrate it by an example. 

A THIRD METHOD. 

Desire tlie person to add 1 to the triple of the number thought of, and 
to multiply the sum by 3 ; then bid him add to this product the number 
thought of, and the result will be a sum, from which if 3 be subtracted, the 
remainder will be ten times of the number required ; and if the cipher on 
the right be cut off from the remainder, the other figure will indicate the 
number sought. 

Example : — Let tue number thought of be 6, the triple of which is 18 5 
and if 1 be added, it makes 19 ; the triple of this last number is 57, and if 
6 be added, it makes 63, from which if 3 be subtracted, the remainder will 
be 60 : now, if the cipher on the right be cut off, the remaining figure, 6, 
will be the number required. 

A FOURTH METHOD. 

Bid the person multiply the number thought of by itself; then desire him 
to add 1 to the number thought of, and to multiply it also by itself; in the 
last place, ask him to tell the difference of these two products, which will 
certainly be an odd number, and the least half of it will be the number 
required. 

Let the number thought of, for example, be 10 ; which, multiplied by 
itself, gives 100 ; in the next place, 10 increased by 1 is 11, which, multi- 
plied by itself, makes 121 ; and the difference of these two squares is 21, 
the least half of which, being 10, is the number thought of. 

This operation miglit be varied by desiring the person to multiply the 
second number by itself, after it has been diminished by 1. In this case* 
the number thought of will be equal to the greater half of the difference of 
the two squares. 

Thus, in the preceding example, the square of the number thought of is 
100, and that of the same number, less 1, is 81 ; the difference of these is 
19 ; the greater half of which, or 10, is the number thought of. 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS 99 

TO TELL TWO OR MORE NUMBERS THOUGHT OF. 

If one or more of the numbers thought of be greater than 9, we must dis- 
tinguish two cases ; that in which the number of the numbers thought of is 
odd, and that in which it is even. 

In the first case, ask the sum of tlie first and second ; of the second and 
third; the third and fourth ; and so on to the last ; and tlien the sum of the 
first and the last. Having written down all these sums in order, add to- 
gether all those, the places of which are odd, as the first, the third, the fifth, 
&c. ; make another sum of all those, the places of which are even, as tlie 
second, the fourth, the sixth, &c. ; subtract this sum from the former, and 
tile remainder will be the double of the first number. Let us suppose, f«r 
example, that the five following numbers are thought of, 3, 7, 13, 17, 20, 
which when added two and two as above, give 10, 20, 30, 37, 23 : the sum 
of the first, third, and fifth is 63, and that of the second and fourth is 57 ; if 
57 be subtracted from 63, the remainder, 6, will be the double of the first 
number, 3. Now, if 3 be taken from 10, the first of the sums, the remainder, 
7, will be the second number ; and by proceeding in this manner, we may 
find all the rest. 

In the second case, that is to say, if the number of the numbers thought of 
be even, you must ask and write down, as above, the sum of the first and the 
second ; that of the second and third; and so on, as before : but instead of 
the sum of the first and the last, you must take that of the second and last ; 
then add together those which stand in the even places, and form them into 
a new sum apart ; add also those in the odd places, the first excepted, and 
subtract this sum from the former, the remainder will be the double of the 
second number ; and if the second number, thus found, be subtracted from 
tlie sum of the first and second, you will have the first number ; if it be 
taken from that of the second and third, it will give the third ; and so of the 
rest. Let the numbers thought of be, for example, 3, 7, 13, 17 : the sums 
formed as above are 10, 20, 30, 24; the sum of the second and fourth is 44, 
from which if 30, the third, be subtracted, the remainder will be 14, the 
double of 7, the second number. The first, therefore, is 3, the third 13, and 
the fourth 17. 

When each of the numbers thought of does not exceed 9, they may be 
easily found in the following manner : — 

Having made the person add 1 to the double of the first number thought 
of, desire him to multiply the whole by 5, and to add to the product the 
second number. If there be a third, make him double this first sum, and add 
1 to it; after which, desire him to multiply the new sum by 5, and to add to 
it the third number. If there be a fourtli, proceed in the same manner, 
desiring him to double the preceding siun; to add to it 1; to multiply by 6; 
to add the fourtli number ; and so on. 
G 2 



100 ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

Then, ask the number arising from the addition of the last number thouglit 
of, and if there were two numbers, subtract 5 from it ; if there were three, 
55 ; if there were foiu-, 555 ; and so on ; for the remainder will be composed 
of figures, of which the first on the left will be the first number thought of, 
the next the second, and so on. 

Suppose the number thought of to be 3, 4, 6; by adding 1 to 6, the double 
of the first, we shall have 7, which, being multiplied by 5, will give 35; if 
4, the second number thought of, be then added, we shall have 39, which 
doubled, gives 78 ; and, if we add 1, and multiply 79, the sum, by 5, the 
result will be 395. In tlie last place, if we add 6, the number thought of, the 
sum will be 401 ; and if 55 be deducted froiii it, we shall have, for remain- 
der, 346, the figures of which, 3, 4, 6, indicate in order the three numbers 
thought of. 

THE MONEY GAME. 

A person having in one hand a piece of gold, and in the other a piece of 
silver, you may tell in which hand he has the gold, and in which the silver, 
by the following method : — Some value, represented by an even number, 
such as 8, must be assigned to the gold, and a value represented by an odd 
number, such as 3, must be assigned to the silver ; after which, desire the 
person to multiply the number in the right hand by any even number what- 
ever, such as 2 ; and that in the left by an odd number, as 3 ; then bid him 
add together the two products, and if the whole sum be odd, the gold will be 
in the right hand, and the silver in the left ; if the sum be even, the contrary 
will be the case. 

To conceal the artifice better, it will be sufficient to ask whether the sum 
of the two products can be halved witliout a remainder ; for in that case the 
total will be even, and in the contrary case odd. 

It may be readily seen, that the pieces, instead of being in the two handa 
of the same person, may be supposed to be in the hands of two persons, 
one of whom has the even number, or piece of gold, and the other ,the odd 
number, or piece of silver. The same operations may then be performed 
in regard to tliese two persons, as are performed in regard to the two 
hands of the same person, calling the one privately the right and the other 
tlie left. 

THE GAME OF THE RING. 

This game is an application of one of the methods employed to tell several 
numbers thought of, and ought to be performed in a company not exceeding 
nine, in order that it may be less complex. Desire any one of the company 
to take a ring, and put it on any joint of whatever finger he may think pro- 
per. The question then is, to tell what person has the ring, and on what 
hand, what finger, and on what joint. 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 101 

For this purpose, you must call the first person 1, the second 2, the third 
8, and so on. You must also denote the ten fingers of the two hands, by the 
following numbers of the natural progression, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c. beginning at 
the thumb of the right hand, and ending at that of the left, that by this order 
of the number of the finger may, at the same time, indicate tiie hand. In 
the last place, the joints must be denoted by 1, 2, 3, beginning at the points 
of the fingers. 

To render the solution of this problem more explicit, let us suppose that 
the fooi'th person in the company has the ring on the sixth finger, that is 
to say, on the little finger of tlie left hand, and on the second joint of that 
finger. 

Desire some one to double the number expressing the person, which, ia 
this case, will give 8; bid him add 5 to this double, and multiply the sum 
by 5, which will make 65; then tell hnn to add to this product the number 
denoting the finger, that is to say, 6, by which means you will have 71 ; 
and, in the last place, desire him to multiply the last number by 10, and to 
add to the product the nu!n])er of the joint, 2; the last result will be 712; 
if from diis number you deduct 250, the remainder will be 462; the first 
figure of whicli, on the left, will denote the person ; the next, the finger, 
and consequently, the hand ; and the last, the joint. 

It must here be observed, that when the last result contains a cipher, 
which would have happened in the present example, had the number of the 
finger been 10, you must privately subtract from the figui*e preceding the 
cipher, and assign the value of 10 to the cipher itself. 

THE GAME OF THE BAG. 

To let a person select several numbers out of a bag, and to tell him the 
number which shall exactly divide the sum of those he has chosen : — Pro- 
vide a small bag, divided into two parts, into one of which put several 
tickets, numbered 6, 9, 15, 36, 63, 120, 213, 309, &c. ; and in the other part 
pHt as many other tickets, marked No. 3 only. Draw a handful of tickets 
from the first })art, and, after showing them to the company, put them into 
tlie bag again, and, having opened it a second time, desire any one to take 
out as many tickets as he thinks proper ; when he has done that, you 
open privately the other part of the bag, and tell him to take out of it one 
ticket only. You may safely pronounce that the ticket shall contain the 
number by which the amount of the other numbers is divisible ; for, as each 
of these numbers can be multiplied by 3, their sum total must, evidently, 
be divisible by that number. An ingenious mind may easily diversify this 
exercise, by marking the tickets in one part of the bag, with any numbers 
that are divisible by 9 only, the properties of both 9 and 3 being the same; 
imd it should never be exhibited to the same company twice without being 
varied. 



102 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



1 

+ 

CO 



lb 



§^ 



SQ 






r 



CO 



II 

t 



05 TP 



CO 

+ 



II 






ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 103 

THE NUMBER NINE. {See Opposite page.) 

The following discovery of remarkable properties of the number 9 was 
accidentally made, more than forty years since, though, we believe, it is not 
generally known : — 

The component figures of the product made by the multiplication of every 
digit into the number 9, when added together, make nine. 

llie order of these component figiu-es is reversed, after the said number 
has been multiplied by 5. 

The component figures of the amount of the multipliers, {viz. 45) when 
added together, make nine. 

The amount of the several products, or multiples of 9, {viz. 405) when 
divided by 9, gives, for a quotient, 45; that is, 4-|-5=NiNE. 

The amount of the first product, {viz. 9) when added to the other product, 
whose respective component figures make 9, is 81 ', which is the square 

of NINE. 

The said number 81, when added to the above-mentioned amount of the 
several products, or multiples of 9 {viz. 405) makes 486 ; which, if divided 
by 9, gives, for a quotient, 54 : that is, 5-J-4=nine. 

It is also observable, that the number of changes that may be rung on 
nine bells, is 362,880 ; which figures, added together, make 27 ; that is, 

2-f-7=NlNE. 

And the quotient of 362,880, divided by 9, will be 40,320; that is 
4^0+3+2-fO=N I N E . 

To add a figure to any given number, which shall render it divisible by 
Nine : — Add the figures together in your mind, which compose the number 
named ; and the figure which must be added to the sum produced, in order 
to render it divisible by 9, is the one required. Thus — ; 

Suppose the given number to be 7521 : — 

Add those together, and 15 will be produced; now 15 requires 3 to ren- 
der it divisible by 9 ; and that number, 3, being added to 7521, causes the 
same divisibility : — 

7521 



9)7524(836 

This exercise may be diversified by your specifying, before the sum is 
named, the particular place where the figure shall be inserted, to make 
the number divisible by 9 ; for it is exactly the same thing, whether 
tlie figure be put at the head of the number, or between any two of its 
digits. 



104 ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS 

THE CERTAIN GAME. 

Two persons agree to take, alternately, numbers less than a given num- 
ber, for example, 11, and to add them together till one of them has reached 
a certain sum, such as 100. By what means can one of them infallibly 
attain to tliat number before the other 1 

The whole artifice in this, consists in immediately making choice of tlie 
numbers, 1,12, 23, 34, and so on, or of a series which continually increases 
by 11, up to 100. Let us suppose, that the first person, who knows the 
game, makes choice of 1 ; it is evident that his adversary, as he must count 
less than 11, can, at most, reach 11, by adding 10 to it. The first will then 
take 1, which will make 12: and whatever number the second may add, the 
first will certainly win, provided he continually add the number which forms 
the complement of that of his adversary, to 11 ; that is to say, if the latter 
take 8, he must take 3; if 9, he must take 2; and so on. By following 
this method, he will infallibly attain to 89; and it will then be impossible 
for the second to prevent him from getting first to 100 ; for whatever number 
the second takes, he can attain only to 99 ; after which the first may say — • 
" and 1 makes 100." If the second take 1 afjter 89, it would make 90, and 
his adversary would finish by saying — " and 10 make 100." Between two 
persons who aie equally accjuainted with the game, he who begins must 
necessarily win. 

MAGICAL CENTURY. 

If the number 11 be multiplied by any one of the nine digits, the two 
figures of the product will always be alike, as appears in the following 
example : — 

11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 
123456789 



11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 



Now, if another person and yourself have fifty counters apiece, and 
agree never to stake more than ten at a time, you may tell him, that if he 
permit you to stake first, you will always complete the even century 
before him. 

In order to succeed, you must first stake l,ancl remembering the order of 
the above series, constantly add to what he stakes as many as will make one 
more than the numbers 11, 22, 33, &c. of which it is composed, till you 
coine to 89 ; after which your opponent cannot possibly reach the even 
century himself, or prevent you from reaching it. 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 105 

If your opponent have no knowledge of numbers, you may stake any 
other number first, under 10, provided you subsequently take care to secure 
one of the last terms, 56, 67, 78, &c. ; or you may even let him stake first, if 
you take care afterw^ard to secure one of these numbers. 

This exercise may be performed with other numbers ; but, in order to 
succeed, you must divide tlie number to be attained, by a nmnber which 
is a unit greater than what you can stake each time ; and the remainder 
will then be the number you must first stake. Suppose, for example, the 
number to be attained be 52, (making use of a pack of cards instead of 
counters,) and that you are never to add more than 6 ; then, dividing 52 
by 7, the remainder, which is 3, will be the number which you must first 
stake ; and whatever your opponent stakes, you must add as much to it 
as will make it equal to 7, the number by which you divided, and so in 
continuation. 

THE CANCELLED FIGURE GUESSED. 

To tell the figure a person has struck out of the sum of two given 
numbers : — Arbitrarily command those numbers only, that are divisible 
by 9; such, for instance, as 36, 63, 81, 117, 126, 162, 261, 360, 315, 
and 432. 

Then let a person choose any two of these numbers ; and, after adding 
them together in his mind, strike out from the sum any one of the figures 
he pleases. 

After he has so done, desire him to tell you tlie sum of the remaining 
figures ; and it follows, that the number which you are obliged to add to 
this amount, in order to make it 9 or 18, is the one he struck out. 
Thus :— . 

Suppose he chooses the numbers 162 and 261, making altogether 423, 
and that he strike out the centre figure, the two other figures will, added 
together, make 7, which, to make 9, requires 2, the number struck out. 

THE DICE GUESSED UNSEEN. 

A pair of dice being throw^n, to find the number of points on each die 
without seeing them : — Tell the person, who cast the dice, to double the 
number of points upon one of them, and add 5 to it ; then, to multi})ly the 
sum produced by 5, and to add to the product the number of points upon the 
other die. This being done, desire him to tell you the amount, and, having 
thrown out 25, the remainder will be a number consisting of two figures, the 
first of which, to the left, is the number of points on the first die, and the 
second figure to the right, the number on the other. Thus : — 

Suppose the number of points of the first die which comes up, to be 2, 
suid that of the other 3 ; then, if to 4, tlie double of tlie points of the fii'st. 



106 ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

there be added 5, and the sum produced^ 9, be mukiplied by 5, the product 
will be 45 ; to which, if 3, the number of points on the other- die, be added, 
48 will be produced, from which, if 25 be subtracted, 23 will remain ; the 
first figure of which is 2, the number of points on the first die, and the 
second figure 3, the number on the other, 

THE SOVEREIGN AND THE SAGE. 

A sovereign being desirous to confer a liberal reward on one of his 
courtiers, who had performed some very important service, desired him 
to ask whatever he thought proper, assuring him it should be granted. The 
courtier, who was well acquainted with the science of numbers, only re- 
quested that the monarch would give him a quantity of wheat equal to that 
which would arise from one grain doubled sixty-three times successively 
The value of the reward was immense ,• for it will be found, by calcu- 
lation, that the sixty-fourth term of the double progression divided by 
1 : 2 : 4 : 8 : 16 : 32 : &c, is 9223372036854775808. But the sum of 
all the terms of a double progression, beginning with 1, may be 
obtained by doubling tlie last term, and subtracting from it 1. The* 
number of the grains of wheat, therefore, in the present case, will be 
18446744073709551615. Now, if a pint contain 9216 grains of wheat, a 
gallon will contain 73728 ; and, as eight gallons make one bushel, if we 
divide the above result by eight times 73728, we shall have 31274997411295 
for the number of the bushels of wheat equal to the above number of grains : 
a quantity greater than what the whole surface of the earth could produce 
in several years, and which, in value, would exceed all the riches, perhaps, 
on the globe. 

THE horse-dealer's BARGAIN. 

A gentleman, taking a fancy to a horse, which a horse-dealer wished to 
dispose of at as high a price as he could ; the latter, to induce the gentleman 
to become a purchaser, offered to let him have the horse for the value of the 
twenty-fourth nail in his shoes, reckoning one farthing for the first nail, two 
for the second, four for the third, and so on to the twenty -fomth. The gen- 
tleman, thinking he should have a good bargain, accepted tlie offer ; the 
price of the horse was, therefore, necessarily great. 

By calculating as before, the twenty-fourth term of the progression, 
1 : 2 : 4 : 8 : &c., will be found to be 8388608, equal to the number of 
farthings the purchaser gave for the horse ; the price, therefore, amounted 
to £8738. 2s. 8d. 

the DINNER PARTY. 

A club of seven persons agreed to dine together every day successively, 
as long as they could sit down to table differently arranged. How many 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



107 



dinners would be necessary for that purpose 1 It may be easily found, by 
the rules already given, that the club must dine together 5040 times, before 
tliey would exhaust all the arrangements possible, which would require 
above thirteen years. 

COMBINATIONS OF AN ANAGRAM. 

If any word be proposed, for instance, AMOR, and it be required to 
know how many different words could be formed of these four letters, which 
will give all the possible anagrams of that word, we shall find by multiply- 
ing together 1, 2, 3, and 4, that they are in number, 24, as represented m 
the following table : — 



AMOR 


MORA 


ORAM 


RAMO 


AMRO 


MOAR 


ORMA 


RAOM 


AOMR 


MROA 


OARM 


RMAO 


AORM 


MRAO 


OAMR 


RMOA 


ARMO 


MAOR 


OMRA 


ROAM 


AROxM 


MARO 


OMAR 


ROMA 



THE BASKET AND THE STONES. 

If a hundred stones be placed in a straight line, at the distance of a yard 
from each other, the first being at the same distance from a basket, how 
many yards must the person walk who engages to pick them up, one by one, 
and put them into the basket 1 It is evident tliat, to pick up the first stone^ 
and put it into the basket, the person must walk two yards ; for the second, 
he must walk four ; for the third, six ; and so on, increasing by two, to tlie 
hundredth. 

Tiie number of yards, therefore, which the person must walk, will be 
equal to the sum of the progression, 2, 4, 6, &c. the last term of which is 
20i), (22.) But the sum of the progression is equal to 202, the sum of the 
two extremes, multiplied by 50, or half the number of terms : that is to 
Bay, 10,100 yards, which makes more than 5^ miles. 

THE ARITHMETICAL MOUSETRAP. 

One of the best, and most simple mousetraps in use, may be con- 
structed in the following manner : — Get a slip of smooth board, about the 
eighth of an inch thick, a quarter of an inch broad, and of a sufficient 
length to cut out the following parts of the trap. First, an upright piece, 
tliree or four inches high, which must be square at the bottom, and a 
small piece be cut off the top to fit the notch in No. 2, (see No. 1 in the 
margin.) The second piece must be of the same length as the fiist, with a 



108 



ARITHMETICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



notch cut across nearly at the top of it, to fit the top of No. 1, and the other 
end of it trimmed to catch the notch in No. 3, (see No. 2.) The third piece 
should be twice as long as either of the others ; a notch, similar to that in 
No. 2, must be cut i^ one end of it, to catch the lower end of No. 2. Having 

proceeded thus far, you must put the 
pieces togetlier, in order to finish it, by 
r adding another notch in No. 3, the ex- 

act situation of which you will discover 
as follows : — Place No. 1, as it is in 
the cut, then put the notch of No. 2 on 
rv ^ the thinned top of No. 1 ; keep it in tlie 

^ same inclination as in the cut; then 

get a flat piece of wood, or slate, one 
end of which must rest on the ground, and the centre of the edge of the 
other on the top of No. 2. You will now find the thinned end of No. 2 ele- 
vated by the weight of the flat piece of wood or slate ; then put the thinned 
end of it in the notch of No. 3, and draw No. 2 down by it, until the whole 
forms a resemblance of a figure 4 : at the exact place where No. 3 touches 
the upright, cut a notch, which, by catching the end of No. 1, will keep 
the trap together. You may now bait the end of No. 3 with a piece of 
cheese ; a mouse, by nibbling the bait, will pull down No. 3, the other pieces 
immediately separate, and the slate or board falls upon the mouse. We 
have seen numbers of mice, rats, and birds, caught by this 



iFifltttt of ^ SCrau. 




OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 




What wonders may be brought to pass, 
By the optician's magic glass ! 
A barley-corn of painted paper, 
lUumin'd by a farthing taper, 
Into a spacious plain extendeth, 
Whereon Dan Sol his hot glance bendeth. 
The leech's paltry, dark green potion 
Is magnified into an ocean : 
His little, crabb'd, perspective scrawl. 
Into th' hand-writing on the wall : 
liook one way, and a blow-fly's nose 
To elephant's proboscis grows : 
Turn t'other end, hippopotamus 
Becomes a gnat compared with a mouse. 



The science of optics affords an infinite variety of amusements, which 
cannot fail to instruct the mind as well as delight the eye. By the aid of 
Optical instruments we are enabled to lessen the distance to our visual organs 
between the globe we iiAabit and " the wonders of the heavens above us ;" 
tQ observe the exquisite finish, and propriety of construction, which are to 
be found in the most minute productions of the earth ; — to trace the path of 
the planet in its course round the magnificent orb of day, and to detect tlie 
pulsation of the blood, as it flows through tlie veins of an ip«p'^^ Thr.r:g, 



W" 



110 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



are but a small portion of the powers which this science offers to man ; to 
enumerate them all would require a space equal to the body of our work : 
neither do we propose to notice, in the following pages, the various instru- 
ments and experiments which are devoted solely, or rather, chiefly, to pur- 
poses merely scientific ; it being our intention merely to call the attention of 
our juvenile readers to such things as combine a vast deal of amusement 
with much instruction ; to inform them as to the construction of the various 
popular instruments ; to show the manner of using them, and to explain 
eome of the most attractive experiments which the science affords. By 
doing thus much, we hope to offer a sufficient inducement to push inquiry 
much further than the information which a work of this nature will enable 
«is to afford. 



THE CAMERA OBSCURA, 

We give our young friends a brief description of this optical invention ; 
though very common, it is extremely amusing ; almost every one has seen 

it, but few persons know how to 
construct it. AC represents a 
box of about a foot and a half 
square, shut on every side ex- 
cept at D C ; O P is a smaller 
box, placed on the top of the 
greater ; M N is a double con- 
vex lens, whose axis makes an 
angle of forty-five degrees with 
B L, a plane mirror, fixed in 
the box, O P ; the focal length 
of the lens is nearly equal to 
C S+S T, i. e, to the sum of 
the distances of the lens from 
the middle of the mirror, and 
of the middle of the mirror from 
the bottom of the large box. 
The lens being turned toward 
the prospect, would form a pic- 
ture of it, nearly at its focus; 
but the rays, being intercepted 
by the mirror, will form the picture as far before the surface as the focus is 
behind it, that is, at the bottom of the larger box ; a communication being 
made between the boxes by the vacant space, Q O. This instrument is 
frequently used for the delineation of landscapes : for which purpose, the 
draughtsman, putting his head and hand into tlie box, through the open side. 




OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



Ill 



D C, and drawing a curtain round to prevent the admission of the lights 
which would disturb the operation, can trace a distinct outline of the picture 
that appears at the bottom of the box. 

There is another kind of camera obscura, for the purposes of drawing, 
constructed thus : in the extremity of the arm, P Q, that extends from the 
side of a small square box, B L, is placed a double convex lens, whose axis 
is inclined in an angle of forty-five degrees, to a plane mirror, B O ; the focal 
length of the lens is equal to its distance from the side of the box, O T ; there- 
fore, when the lens is turned toward the illuminated prospect, it would pro- 
ject the image on the side, O T, if the mirror were removed ; but this will 

reflect the image to the side^ 
M L, which is as far distant 
from the middle of the mir- 
ror as this is from the side^ 
O T. It is there received on 
a piece of glass, rough at the 
upper side, and smooth at the 
lower, and appears in its 
proper colors on the upper 
side of the plate. It is evi- 
dent that in each of these in- 
struments the image is invert- 
ed with respect to the object, 
M S is a lid to prevent the 
admission of light during the 
delineation of the picture; 
and others, for the same pur- 
pose, are applied to the sides, 
M R and N L. 

You may also construct the camera obscura in a room, thus : — you first 
darken the room, by closing the shutters, and every place where the exter- 
nal light can be admitted. You then cut a circular hole in the shutter, or 
a board placed against the window, in which you place a lens, or convex- 
glass, the focus of which is at the distance of not less than four, nor more 
than fifteen or twenty feet : fit'om six to twelve feet is the best distance. At 
this distance, also, place a pasteboard, covered w^ith the whitest paper, with 
R black border, to prevent any of the side rays ficom disturbing the picture ; 
let it be two feet and a half long, and eighteen or twenty inches high ; bend 
the length of it inward, to the form of part of a circle, the diameter of which 
is equal to double the focal distance of the glass : then fix it on a frame of the 
same figure, and place it upon a movable foot, that it may be easily fixed 
at that exact distance from the glass where the objects paint themselves to tlie 
gieatest perfection. When it is thus placed, all the objects which are in the 




112 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

front of the window will be painted upon the paper, in an inverted position^ 
with the greatest regularity, and in the most natural colors. 

There is another method of making the camera obscura, by a scioptric 
ball ; tliat is, a ball of wood, through which a hole is made, in which hole a 
lens is fixed : this ball is placed in a wooden frame, in which it turns freely 
round ; the frame is fixed to the hole in the shutter, and the ball, by turning 
about, answers, in great part, the use of the mirror on the outside of the 
window. If the hole in the window be not bigger than a pea, the objects 
will be represented without any lens. 

If you place a movable mirror without the window, by turning it more 
or less, you will have upon the paper all the objects which are on each side 
of the window. 

The inverted position of the images may be deemed an imperfection, but 
it is easily remedied ; for, if you stand above the board, on which they are 
received, and look down upon it, they will appear in their natural position ; 
or, if you stand before it, and, placing a common mirror against your breast, 
in an oblique direction, look down in it, you will there see the images erect, 
and they will receive an additional lustre from the reflection of the glass ; or, 
place two lenses in a tube tliat draws out ; or, lastly, if you place a large 
concave mirror at a proper distance before the picture, it will appear before 
the mirror in tlie air, and in an erect position. 

If, instead of putting the mirror without the window, you place it in the 
room, and above the hole, (which must then be made near the top of the 
sluitter,) you may receive the representation on a paper placed horizontally 
on a table, and draw all the objects that there appear painted. 

THE MAGNIFYING CAMERA OBSCURA. 

Let the rays of light that pass through the lens in the shutter be thrown on 
a large concave mirror, properly fixed in a frame. Then take a slip or thin 
plate of glass, and sticking any small object to it, hold it in the incident 
rays, at a little more than the focal distance fit'om the mirror, and you will 
gee, on the opposite wall, amidst the reflected rays, the image of that ob- 
ject, very large, and extremely clear and bright. 

THE PRISMATIC CAMERA OBSCURA. 

Make two holes, F,/, (Fig. 1,) in the shutter of a dark chamber, near t» 
each other ; and against each hole, a prism, ABC, and a 6 c, in a perpen- 
dicular direction, that their Sj)ectrums5 ^ ^, may be cast on the paper in a 
horizontal line, and coincide with each other ; the red and violet of the one 
being in the same part w'ith those of the other. The paper should ba 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



113 



placed at such a distance from the prisms that the spectrum may be suffi- 
ciently dilated. Provide sevei-al papers nearly of the same dimensions with 
the spectrum, cross these papers, and draw lines parallel to the divisions of 
the colors : hi these divisions cut out such figures as \ ou may iind will have 
an agreeable effect, as flowers, trees, animals, &c. When you have placed 
one of these papers in its proper position, hang a black cloth or paper be- 
hind it, that none of the rays that pass tlu'ough may be reflected, and confiise 
the phenomenon : the figure cut on the paper will then apj^ear strongly 
illuminated widi all the original colors of nature. 




If, while one of the prisms remains at rest, the other be revolved on its 
axis, the continual alteration of the colors will afford a pleasing variety : 
which may be further increased, by turning the prism round in different di- 
rections. When the prisms are so placed that the two spectrums become 
coincident in an inverted order of their colom's, the red end of one falling on 
the violet end of the other, if they be then viewed through a third prism, 
D H, held parallel to their length, they will no longer appear coincident, 
but in the form of two distinct spectrums, jp t and n m, (fig. 2,) crossing on« 
another in the middle, like the letter X, The red of one spectrum, and 
the violet of the other, which were coincident at N M, being parted from 
each other by a greater refraction of the violet to p and «2, than that of the 
red to n and t. 

This recreation may be farther diversified by adding two other prisms, 
that shall form a spectrum in the same line, and contiguous to the other ; by 
which not only the variety of figures, but the vicissitude of colors, will l>e 
consideraDly augmented. 



114 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

CAMERA LUCIDA. 

Opposite to the place or wall where the appearance is to be, make a hole 
of at least a foot in diameter ; or, if there be a high window with a casement 
of that dimension in it, this will do much better, without such hole or case- 
ment opened. At a convenient distance, to prevent its being perceived by 
the company in the room, place the object or picture intended to be repre- 
sented, but in an inverted situation. If the picture be transparent, reflect 
the sun's rays by means of a looking-glass, so that they may pass through it 
toward the place of representation ; and, to prevent any rays from passing 
aside it, let the picture be encompassed with some board or cloth. If the 
object be a statue, or a living creature, it must be enlightened by casting the 
sun's rays on it, either by reflection, refraction, or both. Between this ob- 
ject and the place of representation put a broad convex glass, ground tp 
such a convexity as that it may represent the object distinctly in sucli place. 
The nearer this is situated to the object, the more will the image be magni- 
fied upon the wall, and the further, the less ; such diversity depending on the 
difference of the spheres of the glasses. If the object caimot be conve- 
niently inverted, there must be two large glasses of proper spheres, situated 
at suitable distances, easily found, by trial, to make the representation cor- 
rect. This whole apparatus of object, glasses, &c. with "he persons employ- 
ed in the management of them, are to be placed witliout me window or hole, 
go that they may not be perceived by the spectators in the room, and the 
operation itself will be easily performed. 

THE POLEMOSCOPE. 

By a polemoscope you may see what passes in another place without 
being seen from thence yourself : it may be made by fixing, in a common 
opera-glass, a small mirror, inclined to an angle of forty-five degrees, and 
adjusting a proper object-glass ; by this, while appearing to look straight 
forward, you may see what passes on one side of you. This instrument 
may also be so constructed that the tube may turn round, and the mirror be 
elevated or depressed, that you may see successively, and at pleasure, all 
the objects that you would perceive, if you were at the top of tlie wall 
against which the instrument is placed. 

THE KALEIDOSCOPE. 

To construct this instrument procure a tube of tin, brass, pasteboard, or 
any other material, eight or ten inches long, and one and a half or two 
inches in diameter ; place a cap upon one end, with a small hole in the 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



115 




centre, at the circumference of the circle, d, in the annexed figure, which is 
a view of the right end of the instrument, from which the cap iias been 
removed. The circle is the edge of tlie tube, the lines, a c and 6 c, are 
the edges of the two reflecting sm-faces, whicii are nearly of the same 
length as the tube : they may be madle of 
two pieces of looking-glass, or of plate- 
glass or crown-glass, which have been 
blackened on one side at e e, the surfaces 
ff, being well polished. The blackening 
may be effected with the smoke of a lamp 
simply, or npon varnish, or with any other 
black matter which effectually resists the 
rays of light ; and the two reflectors must 
be kept apart at g*, by means of a piece of 
cork, or any other substance, placed at 
each end of the tube. At c, where the 
reflectors join, they should be straight, and 
adapted to each other ; or they may be 
placed differently, or even parallel, as in 
die figure following. At the other end of the tube, (the object end,) where 
the two reflecting surfaces, a c b c, terminate, a circular piece of ground 
glass is to be fittef* *nto the tube, and retained there by means of a piece of 
wire, which is to be bent to a circle, and placed upon the glass to keep it 
steady. Over this end let another tube be fitted, an inch or two in length 
at least, capable of being turned round ; 
and, at its end, let another circular piece 
of glass, smooth, be fitted in, similarly to 
the preceding. Into this outer cap, or 
tube, put the objects to be viewed, which 
may consist of any semi-transparent col- 
ored substances, as glass, beads, shells, 
or pearls, and the like, but not too many 
at a time. Place the cap on, and then, 
advancing the tube to the eye, still keep- 
ing the side, a b, upward, look through at 
d, and you will have a brilliant symmet- 
rical repetition of the objects which are 
placed between the two glasses and visible 
tlirough the angular aperture, ab c. Turn 
rotmd the cap, more or less, m which the objects are so placed, and you 
will perceive a change in the combinations of the images; new forms will 
present themselves, entirely different from the former, sometimes arising 
out of (lie centre, at others vanishing there, and occasionally playing round 
H 2 




1 16 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

it in double and opposite oscillations. Standing still, however, the draughts- 
man may cop}^ oflf upon paper the shapes that present themselves, if he 
cannot hope to equal the varied tints, which are developed in succession j 
each new one delighting the eye by the perfection of its forms and the 
brilliancy of its coloring, both of which depend upon previously managing 
the objects to be viewed, and the angle at which the two reflectors, d c, and 
6 c, are fixed. 

"Instead o( two reflectors, this instrument may be constructed with three 
err more such planes, which may be arranged differently as regards each 
other : but the perfection of the kaleidoscope is to be found in procuring the 
reflection of distant natural objects, and in reducing them to the size proper 
for pictorial representation. This may be accomplished by fixing upon the 
object end a convex lens, fastened to the slider tube^ which must then be near- 
ly as long as the inner one, in order that the right focus may be found, which 
is adapted to the particular object ; so two or three lenses may be kept, of 
several focal lengths, wdiicli should be always less than its gieatest distance 
from tlie sight-hole, and will be found, generally, at from one-fourth to a 
third of that distance. A further variation^ however, may be obtained, by 
introducing two lenses ; one fixed to the inner tube, the other to the slider ; 
and approaching to or receding from these, by means of the slider, the fo- 
cus will be found. 

As a matter of economy to those who may possess a telescope, it is sug- 
gested, that the size of the kaleidoscope may be made to correspond with 
that instrument, so that its glasses may be occasionally borrowed. A con- 
cave glass, placed at the sight-hole, (d, fig. 2,) will throw the objects off, and 
reduce their size by taking care that the focal length be equal to the length 
of the reflectors. 

Supposing the instrument to contain twenty small pieces of glass, &c. and 
that you make ten changes in each minute, it will take the inconceivable 
space of 462,880,899,576 years and 360 days, to go through the immense 
variety of changes it is capable of producing, amounting (according to our 
frail idea of tbe nature of things) to an eternity. Or, if you take only twelve 
small pieces, and make ten changes in each minute, it will then require 
33,264 days, or 91 years and 49 days, to exhaust its variations. 

THE MAGIC LANTERN. 

Tlie object of this ingenious instrument is to represent, in a dark room, 
on a white wall or cloth, a succession of enlarged figures, of remarkable, 
natural, or grotesque objects. The figure in the next page is a representa- 
tion of one. It consists of a tin box, with a funnel on tlie top, represented by 
e, and a door on one side of it. This funnel, by being bent, as shown in tlie 
figure, serves the double purpose of letting out tlie smoke, and keeping in 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



117 



tlie light. In tlie middle of the bottom of the box is placed a movable tin 
lamp, «j which must have two or three good lights, at the height of the 
centre of tlie polished tin reflector, c. In the front of the box, opposite the 
reflector, is fixed a tin tube, m, in which there slides another tube, n. The 

sliding tube has, at its 
outer eytremity ,a convex 
lens, of about two inches 
diameter; tlie tube, m, 
also has a convex lens fix*- 
ed in it, as shown in the 
figure, of three inches di- 
ameter. The focus of the 
smaller of these lenses 
maybe about five inches* 
Between the tube, m, and 
the lamp, there must be a 
slit oropening, (asatii) 
to admit of the passage of 
glass sliders, mounted in 
paper or wooden fj-ames, 
such as are represented 
below ; upon which slid- 
ers it is that tlie miniature figures are painted, which are intended to be 
shown upon the wall. The distinctness of the enlarged figures depends not 
only upon tlie goodness of the magnifying glass, but upon the clearness of the 
light yielded by the lamp, a. It may be purchased ready made of any 
optician. 




To paint the glasses. Draw on a paper the subject you desire to paint. 
Lay it on a table or any fiat surface, and place the glass over it : then draw 
the outlines, with a very fine pencil, in varnish mixed with black paint, and, 
when dry, fill up the other parts in their proper colors. Transparent colors 
must be used for this purpose, such as carmine, lake, Prussian blue, verdigris, 
sulphate of iron, tincture of Brazil wood, gamboge, &c. ; and these must be 
tempered with a strong white varnish, to prevent their peeling off. Then 
sliade them with black, or with bistre, mixed with the same varnish. 

To exhibit the Magic Lantern. The lamj) being liglited, and the room 
darkened, place the machine on the table, at some distance from the white 



118 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



wall or suspended sheet, and introduce mto the slit, i i, one of the sliders re* 
presented above, with the figures inverted. If the movable tube, n, be then 
pushed in or drawn out, till the proper focus be obtained, the figures on the 
slider will be reflected on the wall, in their distinct colors and proportions, 
with the appearance of life itself, and of any size, from six inches to seven 
feet, according to the distance of the lantern from the wall. Movements of 
the figures are easily made by painting the subject on two glasses, and pass- 
ing the same through the groove. 

To represent a tempest. Provide two plates of glass, whose frames are so 
thin, that they may both pass freely through the groove of the common magic 
lantern at the same time. On one of these, paint the appearance of the sea, 
fi"om the slightest agitation to the most violent commotion : representing, 
fii'st, a calm ; afterward a small agitation, with some clouds ; and so on to the 
end, wJiich should exhibit a furious storm. 




These representations are not to be distinct, but run into each other, 
that they may form a natural gradation ; and great part of the effect de- 
pends on the perfection of the painting, and the picturesque appearance of 
the design. 

On the other glass, paint vessels of different forms and dimensions, and in 
different directions, together with the appearance of clouds in the tempes- 
tuous parts. 




Both glasses being done, pass the first slowly tlu-ough the groove ; and 
when you come to tliat part where the storm begins, move it gently up and 
down, which will produce the appearance of a sea that begins to be agitated; 
and so increase the motion till you come to the height of the storm. At the 
same time introduce the other glass with the ships, and moving that in like 
manner, they will exhibit a natural representation of the sea, and of ships 
in a calm and in a storm. As the glasses are drawn slowly back, the 
teni[)est will seem to subside, the sky grow clear, and the ships glide gently 
over the waves 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



119 



By means of two glasses, disposed in the before-mentioned manner, num- 
berless other subjects may be represented. 




THE APPARITION. 

Inclose a small magic lantern in a box large enough to contain a small 
swing dressing-glass, which will reflect the light thrown on it by the lan- 
tern in such a way, that it will pass out at the aperture made at the top of 

the box, which aperture should be 
oval, and of a size adapted to the 
cone of light to pass through it. 
There should be a flap with hinges, 
to cover the opening, that the inside 
of the box may not be seen. There 
must be holes in that part of the 
box which is over the lantern, to 
let the smoke out ; and over this 
must be placed a chafing-dish, of an 
oblong figure, large enough to hold 
several lighted coals. This chafing- 
dish, for the better carrying on the 
deception, may be inclosed in a 
painted tin box, about a foot high, with a hole at top, and should stand on 
four feet, to let the smoke of the lantern escape. There must also be a glass 
planned to move up and down in the groove, a 6, and so managed by a cord 
and pulley, c d ef, that it may be raised up and let down by the cord coming 
through the outside of the box. On this glass, the spectre (or any other 
figure you please) must be painted, in a contracted or squat form, as the 
figure will reflect a greater length than it is drawn. 

When j^ou have lighted the lamp in the lantern, and placed the mirror 
in a proper direction, put the box on a table, and, setting the chafing-dish 
in it, throw some incense in powder on the coals. You then open the trap 
door and let down tlie glass in the groove slowly, and when you perceive 
the smoke diminish, draw up the glass that the figure may disappear, and 
shut the trap door. 

This exhibition will afford a deal of wonder : but observe, that all the lights 
in the room must be extinguished; and the box should be placed on a high 
table, that the aperture through which the light comes out may not be seen. 



THE NEBULOUS MAGIC LANTERN. 

The light of the magic lantern, and the color of images, may not only 
be painted on a cloth, but also reflected by a cloud of smoke. Provide a 



120 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. a 

box of wood or pastel )OHrd, about four feet higb, and seven or eight inches 
square at bottom, but diminishing as it ascends, so that its aperture at top 
oe but six in('lies long, and lialf an inch wide. At the bottom of this box 
there must be a door that shuts quite close, by which you are to place in 
the box a chafing-dish with hot coals, on which is to be thrown incense, 
wliose smoke goes out in a cloud at the top of the box : on this cloud, you 
^ve to throw the light that comes out of the lantern, and which you bring 
into a smaller compass by drawing out the movable tube. The common 
figure will here serve. 

It is remaikable in this representation, that the motion of the smoke 
does not at all change the figures; which appear so conspicuous that the 
spectator thinks he can grasp them with his hand. In the experiment, 
some of the rays passing through the smoke, the representation will be 
much less vivid than on the cloth ; and if care be not taken to reduce the 
light to its smallest focus, it will be still more imperfect. 

THE PHANTASMAGORIA. 

In the exhibition of the common magic lantern, the spectators see a 
round circle of light with the figures in the middle of it ; but, in the Phantas- 
magoriji, they see the figures only, without any circle of light. The exhi- 
bition is produced by a niL^gic lantern, placed on that side of a half-trans- 
parent screen which is opposite to that on which the spectators are, instead 
of being on the same side, as in the ordinary exhibition of the magic 
kntern. To favor the deception, the sliders are made perfectly opaque, 
except in those places that contain the figures to be exhibited, and in these 
light parts the glass is covered with a more or less transparent tint, accord- 
ing to the effect required. The easiest way is to draw the figures with 
water colors on thin paper, and afterward varnish them. To imitate the 
naturjil motions of the objects represented, several pieces of glass, placed 
behind each other, are occasionally employed. By removing the lantern 
to different distances, and, at the same time, altering, more or less, the 
position of the lens, tlie images are made to increase and diminish, and to 
l)ecome more or less distinct at the pleasure of the exhibitor; so that, to 
a person unacquainted with the eflfect of optical insti'uments, these figures 
appear actually to advance and recede. 

To make transparent screens for the Phantasmagoria. Transparent 
screens are prepared by spreading white wax, dissolved in spirits of wine 
or oil of turpentine, over tliin muslin : a screen so prepared may be rolled 
up without injury. A clearer screen may be produced, by having the 
muslin always strained upon a rectangular frame, and preparing it with 
turpentine, instead of wax : but such a scieen is not always convenient, 
and (;annot be rolled without cracking, and becoming, in a short time, 
useless ; therefore, nothing can be better for tlie purpose than the former. 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 121 



SOLAR MICROSCOPE. 



The solar microscope is constructed in the following manner. In the in- 
side of a tube is placed a convex lens, A B, and at a distance a little greater 
than its focal length, but less tlian double of it, is fixed some transparent 
colored object, Q, P, at the focus conjugate to the place of the object. 



\ 




A broad lens, C D, is placed before the object, to collect the solar rays, 
for the purpose of illuminating it more strongly, and, consequently, making 
tlie image more distinct and vivid. 

TO CONSTRUCT A LANTERN WHICH WILL ENABLE A PERSON TO 
READ BY NIGHT AT A GREAT DISTANCE. 

Make a lantern of a cylindric form, or shaped like a small cask placed 
lengthwise, so that its axis may be horizontal, and fix in one end of it a para- 
bolic or spheric mirror, so that its focus may fall about the middle of the 
axis of the cylinder. If a small lamp or taper be placed in this focus, the 
light passing tlu'ough the other end will be reflected to a great distance, and 
will be so bright that the very small letters on a remote object may be read, 
by looking at them witli a good telescope. Those who see this light, if they 
be in the direction of the axis of the lantern, will think they see a large fire. 

THE CHINESE SHADOWS, (OMBRES CHINOISES.) 

Make an aperture in a partition wall, of any size ; for example, four feet 
in length and two in breadth, so that the lower edge may be about five feet 
from the floor, and cover it with white Italian gauze, varnished with gum- 
copal. Provide several frames of the same size as the aperture, covered 
with the same kind of gauze, and delineate upon the gauze difl:erent figures, 
such as landscapes and buildings, analogous to the scenes which you intend 
to exhibit by means of small figures representing men and animals. 

These figures are formed of pasteboard, and their different parts are made 
movable, according to the effect intended to be produced by their shadows, 
when moved backward and forward behind the frames, and at a small dis- 
tance from them. To make them act with more facility, small wires, fixed 
to their movable parts, are bent backward, and made to terminate in rings, 
through which the fingers of the hand are put, while the figure is supported 
by the left, by means of another iron wire. In this manner they may be 



122 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

made to advance or recede, and to gesticulate, without the spectators ob- 
serving- the mechanism by which they are moved ; and, as tlie sliadow of 
tliese figures is not observed on the paintings till tJiey are opposite tliose parts 
which are not strongly sliaded, they may thus be concealed, and made to 
appear at the proper moments, and others may be occasionally substituted 
in their stead. 

It is necessary, when the figures are made to act, to keep up a sort of 
dialogue, suited to their gestures, and even to imitate the noise occasioned 
by different circumstances. The paintings must be illuminated from behind, 
l)y means of a reverberating lamp, placed opposite to the centre of the 
painting, and distant from it about four or five feet. Various amusing scenes 
may be represented in this manner, by employing small figures of men and 
animals, and making them move in as natural a way as possible, which ivill 
depend on the address and practice of the person who exhibits them, 

THE MARVELLOUS MIRROR. 

In the wainscot of a room make two openings, of a foot high, and ten 
inches wide, and about a foot distant from each other : let them be at the 
■common height of a man's head ; and, in each of them, place a transparent 
glass, surrounded with a frame, like a common mirror. Behind this partition 
place two mirrors, one on the outwai'd side of each opening, inclined to the 
wainscot in an angle of forty-five degrees ; let them be both eighteen inches 
square ; let all the space between them be enclosed by boards or pasteboard, 
j)ainted black, and well closed, that no light may enter ; let there be also 
two cinlains to cover them, which may be drawn aside at pleasure. When 
a person looks into one of these supposed mirrors, instead of seeing his own 
face he will perceive the object that is in the front of the other; so that, if 
two persons present themselves at the same time before these mirrors, instead 
of each one seeing himself they will reciprocally see each other. There 
should be a sconce with a candle or lamp placed on each side of the two 
glasses in the wainscot, to enligliten the faces of the persons who look in 
them, otherwise this experiment will have no remarkable effect. 

l^his recreation may be considerably improved by placing the two glasses 
in the wainscot, in adjoining rooms, and a number of persons being pre- 
viously placed in one room, when a stranger enters the other, you may tell 
him his face is dirty, and desire him to look in the glass, which he will natur- 
ally do ; and on seeing a strange face he will draw back ; but returning to 
it, and seeing another, another, and another, like the phantom kings in 
Macbeth, what his surprise will be is more easy to conceive than express. 
After this,, a real mirror may be privately let down on the back of the glass, 
and if he can be prevailed on to look in it once more, he v/ill then, to his 
farther astonishment, see his own face ; and may be told, perhaps persuaded, 
that all he thought he saw before was mere imagination. 



OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



12S 



When a man looks in a mirror that is placed perpendicularly to another,, 
liis face will appear entirely deformed. If the mirror be a little inclined, so 
as to make an angle of eighty degrees, (that is, one-ninth part from the 
perpendicular,) he will then see all the parts of his face, except the nose and 
forehead : if it be inclined to sixty degrees, (that is, one-third part,) he will 
appear with three noses and six eyes : in short, the apparent deformity will 
v-ary at each degree of inclination ; and when the glass comes to forty-fiv^e 
degrees, (that is, half-way down,) the face will vanish. If, instead of placing 
the two mirrors in this situation, they are so disposed that their junction 
may be vertical, their different inclinations will produce other effects; as 
the situation of the object rela-tive to these mirrors is quite different. 

INGENIOUS ANAMORPHOSIS, 

This recreation shows how to draw, on a flat surface, an irregular figure, 
which shall appear, when seen from a proper point of view, not only regU' 
lar, but elevated. Provide a thin board, about two feet long and one foot 
wide, as A B C D, and place thereon a circular piece of card or stiff 
drawing paper, on which a distorted figure is to be drawn, that, being 
viewed from the point, H, shall appear regular, and exactly resembling 
that which is placed at M Fr 



H 3 




Fix, at the end of the board, an upright piece, I, of thin wood or tin, al 
tlie top of which is a sight -hole, H, of two-tenths of an inch in diameter. 

Prepare a lamp, or candlestick, the light of which may be raised or low- 
ered at pleasure, and to which is fixed a brass arm, bearing a sort of coni- 
cal funnel, D, and whose opening at the end next the light is not more 
tlian three or four tenths of an inch in diameter. 

Draw the subject you would represent on a piece of glass of equal height 
with the space, M F, with a very light stroke, and with any color that is 
quite opacjue. Then remove the upright piece, I, and place the lamp, so' 
prepared, in such a manner that the light may be exactly where the sight- 
hole, H, was. Its rays then passing tlirough the glass at M F, will en* 




124 OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

iigliten the surface of your paper, and there show, in a distorted form, the 
subject that is painted on the glass. Then draw, with a pencil, all the strokes 
of the shadow as they appear, and, taking away 
the light, replace the upright side-piece, I, and 
see if what you have drawn correspond with the 
subject on the glass, correcting what imperfec- 
tions there may happen to be. In the last place, 
color the subject, so traced, with the utmost at- 
tention, inspecting your work, from time to time, 
from the point of view, before you give it the 
finishing stroke. When the figure, that is drawn 
and painted on your paper, is viewed from the 
sight, H, it appears to be at the same point where 
the glass, M F, was placed, and in the same form 
that it was painted on the glass. It appears to 
the eye even elevated above the surface of the 
board on which the drawing is placed, and there- 
by receives a remarkable and pleasing illusion. 

SINGULAR ILLUSION. 

Affix to a dark wall a round piece of paper an inch or two in diameter ; 
and, a little lower, at the distance of two feet on each side, make two marks ; 
tlien place yourself directly opposite to the paper, and hold tlie end of your 
finger before your face in such a manner, that when the right eye is open, 
it shall conceal the mark on the left, and, when the left eye is open, the 
mark on the right ; if you then look with both eyes to the end of your fin- 
ger, the paper, which is not at all concealed by it from eitlier of your 
eyes, will, nevertheless, disappear. 

ANOTHER. 

Fix, at the height of the eye, on a dark ground, a small round p'utce of 
white paper, and a little lower, at the distance of two feet to the right, fix 
up another, of about three inches in diameter ; then place yourself opposite 
to the first piece of paper, and, having sliut the left eye, retire backward, 
keeping your eye still fixed on the first object : wlien you are at the distance 
of nine or ten feet, the second will entirely disappear from your sight. 

THE MULTIPLIED MONEY. 

Take a large drinking-glass, of a conical form, that is, small at bottom, 
and wide at top, and, having put into it a sliilling, let it be half filled with 
water ; then place a plate upon the top of the glass, and turn it (juickly 
over, that the water may not get out : a piece of silver as large as half-a- 
crown will innnediately appear on the plate, and, somewhat higher up, 
another piece of the size of a shilling. 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 




They play such merry pranks, that some would think 
They entertained an imp to conjure for them. 
Yet 'tis not so ;— their few hours of pastime, 
These young disciples of the Alchymist 
Adorn with feats, which, to the unlearned eye, 
Show oft like magic :— but grandam Wisdom 
Knows them as recreations of young Science, 
In sportive mood, upon a holyday. 



Chemistry has been called, by its votaries, a fascinating science, and 
with some truth, for it certainly affords more recreation than any other : 
that it is the most useful of all sciences cannot be denied, nor can there 
be a doubt that it has a tendency almost to enchant those who devote their 
attention to it. Its powers are almost infinite, and, in some instances, pro- 
duce effects which appear magical: a great number of those conjuring 
tricks, which have astonished our cotemporaries as much as our forefathers, 
have been effected solely by its agency. It is not, of course, our intention 
to teach our readers chemistry in all its branches, but merely to direct the 



126 CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS, 

inquiring mind of youth to skim liglitly and agreeably over its surface : for 
this purpose, we have selected a series of experiments for their amusement, 
not doubting but that they will considei' the tirae profitably spent in perusing 
them, and we flatter ourselves that they will be an inducement to carry 
their inquiries much further than our limits will afford. For those who wish 
to be instructed as well as amused, we have added some explanations of the 
decompositions, or chemical changes, which take place, in order to show 
that, although almost magical in appearance, they are dependent upon some 
fixed and unerring law of nature. Without any "further prefatory observa- 
tions, we shall now commence our Chemical Recreations, 

CRYSTALLIZATION OF SALTS. 

1. Dissolve one ounce of sulphate of soda (Glauber's salts) in two ounces 
of boil=ing water ; pour it while hot, into a phial, and cork it close. In this 
etate it will not crystallize when cold ; but if the cork l)e removed, the crystal- 
lization will commence and proceed rapidly. 

The presence of atmospheric air is necessary in the process of crystal- 
lization; the experiment will occasionally fail when under unfavorable cir- 
cumstances : should this be the case, drop into the fluid a crystal of Glauber's 
salt, and the whole will immediately commence shooting into beautiful 
crystals. 

2. Repeat the above experiment with a small thermometer immersed in 
the solution, and corked up with it. When cold, remove the cork, and the 
thermometer will be seen to rise. This experiment shows that heat is given 
out in the act of crystallization. 

3. Take half an ounce of caustic soda, (common «oda,) and dissolve it in 
about its own weight of water ; then pour into the solution half an ounce of 
sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol :) when the mixture is cold, crystals of sulphata 
of soda will be foimd in the liquor. 

4. Take caustic soda, and pour upon it muriatic acid : this will produce 
muriate of soda, our common table salt. 

5. Take of carbonate of ammonia, (the common volatile smelling salts,) 
and pour upon it muriatic acid until the effervescence cease. The produce 
will be a solid salt, viz. muriate of ammonia, or crude salammoniac of the 
shops. Caustic substances corrode matter in consequence of their tendency 
to unite with it ; they continue to act upon it until they are saturated by tlio 
combination. 

6. Mix two ounces of semi-vitrified oxyd of lead (litharge) with three 
drachms of muriate of ammonia, and submit the whole to a strong heat in 
a ci u(;ible. The heat will drive off tlie ammonia, and the muriatic acid 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 127 

will combine with the lead, forming a muriate of lead. When the operatiou 
is complete, pour the ingredients into a metallic vessel to cool and crystal- 
lize. This is the patent yellow used by painters. 

In tliis experiment, the lead is dissolved by the muriatic acid, which ha» 
been disengaged by the heat driving off the ammonia with which it wag 
previously combined. 

SYMPATHETIC INKS^ 

1. Write with a diluted solution of muriate or nitrate of cobalt, and the 
writing will be invisible ; but, upon being held to the fire, it will appear- 
perfectly distinct, and of a blue color : if the cobalt should be adulterated 
with iron, the writing will appear of a green color. When taken from the 
fire, the writing will again disappear. If a landscape be drawn and all 
finished with common colors, except the leaves of the trees, the grass and 
the sky, and the latter be finished with this sympathetic ink, and the two 
former with the adulterated solution just mentioned, the drawing will seem 
to be unfinished, and have a wintry appearance ; but, upon being held to 
the fire, the grass and the trees will become green, the sky blue, and the 
whole assume a rich antl beautifiil appearance. 

2. Write with a diluted solution of muriate of copper, and the writing 
will be invisible when cold ; but, on being held to the fire, it will appear of 
a yellow color. A landscape may be drawn and finished, as in the last ex-- 
periment, and, in addition to the sympathetic inks there used, corn fields 
may be painted or finished with this sympathetic ink. The whole will 
have a very drear and bleak aspect till held before a fire, when it will in- 
stantly assume a cheerful and lively appearance, as if by magic. If human 
beings be drawn in common colors, as if in the act of reaping, the whole 
will appear more cm*ious and inteiesting. Tliese landscapes will, at any 
time, exhibit the same appearance. 

3. Write with a weak solution of alum in lemon-juice, and the charac- 
ters will remain invisible until wetted with water, which renders them of 
a grayish color, and quite transparent. A letter written with a solution 
of rock-alum alone, being dried, and having a small quantity of water 
poured over it, will appear of a whiter color than the paper. 

4. Write with a weak solution of sulphate of iron, (green vitriol j) 
when dry it will appear invisible; but if wetted over with a brush, dipped 
in tincture of galls, or a strong decoction of oak bark, the writing will be 
restored, and appear black. 

5. Write with the above solution ; when dry, wash it over with a so- 
lution of prussiate of potash, and the writing will be restored to a beauti- 
ful blue. 



128 CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

In all secret or sympathetic writing, as it is called, there is a chemical 
decomposition : this is more particularly striking in the two last experi- 
ments ; in the former of vviiich, the gallic acid unites with the iron, forming 
a black ; and in the latter, the prussic acid unites with the iron, forming 
a blue, or prussiate of iron. 

HEAT AND COLD. 

1. Take one ounce of muriate of ammonia, the same quantity of nitrate 
of potash, (saltpetre,) and two ounces of sulphate of soda : reduce these 
salts separately into powder, and mix them gradually with four ounces of 
water ; the result will be, that as the salts dissolve, cold will be produced. 
A thermometer, immersed in the mixture, will sink at or below the freez- 
ing point. If a test tube be filled with water, and immersed in the mix- 
ture, the water will soon be frozen. 

The above mixture is frequently used at the tables of the great, to cool 
wine when ice cannot be procured. 

2. Put a small quantity of sulphuric aciil (oil of vitriol) into a glass or 
€up, and pour upon it about half its quantity of cold water; upon stirring 
it, the temperature will rise to many degrees above boiling water. In mix- 
ing sulphuric acid v/ith Avater, great care should be taken not to do it too 
suddealy, as the vessel may break from the incieased heat, and the acid be 
spilkd on the hands, clothes, &c. ; the greatest caution is necessary in using 
it, as it will burn almost anything it touches. 

S. Dissolve a little lime in muriatic or nitric acid, then pour some of 
the liquid into a glass, and add to it a few drops of sulphuric acid; the 
whole will become nearly a solid mass, and, at the same time, give out a 
Btrong heat. 

4. Set a quart pot upon a stool, on which a little water has been pre- 
viously thrown, before the fire ; put a handful of snow into the pot, and also 
a handful of common salt. Hold the pot fast with one hand, and with a 
short stick stir the contents Avith the other, as if you were churning butter ; 
in a few minutes the pot will freeze so hard to the stool, that with both 
hands you can scarcely disengage it. 

5. The most pov/erful of all freezing mixtures is a mixture of muriate 
of lime and snow : to produce the greatest effect by this mixture, equal 
weights of the salt, finely powdered, and newly-fallen snow, must be 
quickly mixed together. This is the mixture that is employed to freeze 
(quicksilver. 

Whenever substances become more condensed by mixture, heat is given 
oi;t ; when they expand, cold is produced : or perhaps, it would be more 
proper to say, the compound has more or less capacity for heat than the 
separate ingredients. 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS 129 

6. Fill a common thermometer tube witli cold water, and suspend it in 
the air by a string : if the tube be continually sprinkled with ether, the water 
will presently become ice. 

All liquids require a great portion of heat to convert tl)em into vapour, and 
all evaporation produces cold. The quick evaporation of etlier, in the above 
experiment, carries away the heat from the water, and converts it into ice. 
An animal might be frozen to death in the midst of summer, by being re- 
peatedly sprinkled with ether. 

COMBUSTION AND EXPLOSION, 

1. Bruise, and slightly moisten with water, a few crystals of nitrate of 
copper; then roll them up quickly in a piece of tin-foil: in about a minute 
the tin-foil will begin to smoke, and soon after, take fire and explode witli a 
slight crackling noise. 

2. Throw a few grains of chlorate of potash, (oxmuriate of potash,) and 
a very small bit or two of phosphorus, into a cup containing a little sulphuric 
acid, the phospliorus Avill instantly burst into flame. 

3. Take five parts of nitrate of potash, (saltpetre,) three of sub-carbonate 
of potash, (salt of tartar,) and one of sulphiu-, all quite dry, and mix tliem to- 
gether in a warm mortar : if a little of this powder be placed upon a shovel, 
over a hot fire, it first begins to blacken, and, at last, melts and explodes 
with a loud report. A small quantity only should be used ; for although 
there is no danger in the mixtm'e, yet some nervous persons may be alarmed 
at the loudness of the report. 

4. Put a small quantity of calcined or pure magnesia into a cup, and 
pour over it a sufficient quantity of sulphuric acid to cover it : almost imme- 
diately combustion will commence, and sparks will be thrown out in all 
directions, 

5. Put a little dry pulverized charcoal into a warm tea-cup, and pour 
over it some nitric acid, when combustion will take place, as in the prece- 
ding experiment. 

6. Pour a table-spoonful of oil of turpentine into a cup, and place it in 
the open air ; then put about half the quantity of nitric acid, mixed with a 
few drops of sulphuric, into a phial, fastened to the end of a long stick ; pour 
it upon the oil, and it will immediately burst into flames, and continue to 
give out much light and heat. 

7. Rub a few grains of chlorate of potash, and about half the quantity 
of sulphur, together in a mortar, and a crackling detonation will be pro- 
duced, accompanied with flashes of light. If a small quantity of tlie saiae 

I 



13Q CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

mixture be wrapped in paper, laid upon an anvil, and smartly struck with 
a hammer, a report will be produced, which will be loud in proportion to 
the quantity used. 

8. Take a little of tlie composition mentioned in the last experiment, on 
tlie point of a knife, and drop it into a wine glass containing sulphuric acids ; 
a beautiful column of flame will be tlie consequence immediately it comes in 
contact with the acid. 

9. Mix a few grains of chlorate of potash with twice their quantity of loaf 
sugar reduced to powder ; place this mixture upon a plate, dip a piece of 
wire in sulphuric acid, and let a single drop fall from its end upon the mix- 
ture ; it will immediately burst into flame, and continue to burn till the whole 
is consumed. 

10. Take a metal button, and rub it for a short time against a piece of 
wood or stone, then touch a small piece of phosphorus with it, the latter will 
immediately take fire and burn. 

11. Hold the end of a rod of glass to a grindstone while it is revolving ; 
In a very short time it will become so hot, that phosphorus, gunpowder, and 
other combustible bodies, may be inflamed by it. Wood rubbed against 
wood will also produce great heat. The natives of New Holland light their 
fires by these means. 

12. Put a small piece of German tinder into the lower end of a syringe, 
then draw up the piston and force it suddenly down by giving it a smgurt 
blow against a wall or table, when the tinder will be ignited, either from 
the sudden condensation of the air, or the friction occasioned by the move- 
ment of the piston. Syringes for tliis purpose are sold in London at about 
half-a-guinea each. 

13. Take two pieces of common bonnet cane and rub tiiem strongly 
against each other in the dark, and a considerable quantity of light will 
be produced. Two pieces of borax have the same property in a more emi- 
nent degree. In this, and the three preceding experiments, the effects de- 
scribed being produced by friction, they ought, in strict propriety, perhaps, 
to be called electrical rather than chemical experiments. 

14. Combustion by concentrating the sun^s rays. Hold a double 
convex glass, of about two inches diameter, to the sun, about mid-day vvhen 
shining very bright, at its focal distance from a piece of coin, which will 
soon become so hot that it cannot be touched with the finger. The inten- 
sity of the heat produced will depend upon the size and convexity of the 
glass, and al,«o on the season of the year. Gunpowder, phosphorus, &c 
may be set on fire in this manner; and, with a very powerful glass, most 
of the metals may be melted. 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 131 

15, Put a small quantity of spirits of wine into a glass with a halfpenny 
or a shilling-, tlien direct the rays of the sun, by means of a glass, upon the 
coin, and, in a short time, it will become so hot as to inflame the spirits. 

COMBUSTION IN AND UNDER WATER. 

1. Mix one grain of phosphorus with three or four grains of chlorate 
of potash, and put this mixture into a glass witli a narrow bottom; then put 
the small end of a fimnel into the glass, in contact with the mixture, and 
fill the glass nearly full of water, but not by means of the funnel ; then pota* 
a few drops of sulphuric acid down the funnel, and tlie combustion of the 
pliosphorus will immediately commence, and continue till the whole is con- 
sumed. 

2. The Well of Fire. .»'Add, gradually, one ounce, by measure, of sul- 
phuric acid to five or six i^imces of water, contained in an eartlienware 
basin; throw in an ounce of granulated zinc, and a small bit or two of 
phosplioras, when phosphuretted hydrogen gas will be produced, which 
takes fire immediately it comes in contact with atmospheric air; so that, in 
a short time, the whole surface will become luminous, and continue so long 
as gas is generated, which may be seen darting from the bottom through 
ti)e fluid with great rapidity. 

3.. Fill a saucer with water, and let fall into it a grain or two of pota&- 
sium ; the potassium will instantly burst into flame with a slight explosion, 
and burn vividly on the surface of the water, darting, at the same time, 
from one side of the vessel to the other, with great violence, in the form of a 
beautiful red-hot fire ball, 

4. JVill-o'-the-wisp. Take a glass tumbler three parts filled with water, 
and drop into it two or three lumps of phosphuret of lime ; a decomposition 
will take place, and phosphuretted hydrogen gas be produced, bubbles of 
which will rise through the water, and take fire immediately they burst 
through the surface, terminating in beautiful ringlets of smoke, which wilt 
continue until the phosphuret of lime is exhausted. 

This gas is generated at the bottom of stagnant shallow pools, in marsheu 
and boggy places, and is frequently seen hovering over the surface of burial 
grounds ; it is what we call the ignis fatuus or Will-o'-the-wisp. 

5, Green Fire tender Water. Put into a glass tumbler two ounces of 
water, and add, fiist, a piece or two of phosphorus about the size of a pea,, 
tlien thirty or forty grains of chlorate of potash ; then pour upon the mass^ 
by means of a funnel with a long neck reaching to the bottom of tlie glass, 
live or six drachms of sulphuric acid. As soon as the acid comes in con- 
tact with the ingredients, flashes of fire begin to dart from under the siurfacc 

I 2 



132 CHEP/IICAL AMUSEMENTS. 

ofthe fluid. Wlien tills takes jilace, drop into the mixture a few pieces of 
phosphuret of lime ; this will immediately illumine the bottom of the vessel, 
and cause a stream of fire, of an emerald green color, to pass through the 
fluid. 

The effects produced in the foregoing experiments, are occasioned hy the 
sudden chemical decomposition which takes place; and here it maybe ne- 
cessary to caution our young friends not to exceed the quantities we have 
directed to be used ; for although we have avoided everything that is dan- 
gerous, yet an excess of quantity, in some cases, might be attended with in- 
convenience, and create alarm from the sudden efiects that are produced. 
When phosphorus is used, it should be handled with great care, lest any 
portion of it get under the finger nails, a small bit of which would occasion 
considerable pain for sometime. 

LUMINOUS WRITING IN THE DARK. 

Fix a small piece of solid phosphorus in a quill, and write with it upon 
^ paper; if the paper be then removed to a dark room, the writing will ap- 
peal- beautifully luminous. 

GREEN FIRE. 

/ Put a small quantity of highly-rectified sj)irlts of wine, mixed with a little 

boracic acid, into an earthenware vessel, and set them on fire, when a very 
beautiful green flame will be produced. 

RED FIRE. 

Proceed as in the last experiment, using nitrate or muriate of strontites, 
tostead of boracic acid, and a beautiful red flame will be produced. 

YELLOV^r FIRE. 

Proceed as above, mixing nitrate or muriate of barytes with tiie spirits, 
and a brilliant yellow flame will be produced. 

The above methods have been used in our theatres to heighten the effect 
of some of those horrifying spectacles with which the city has been treated, 
siucii as Der Freyschut/, &c. 

METALLIC DISSOLVENTS. 

Gold. Pour a small quantity of nitro-muriatic acid upon a small piece of 
gold, or gold leaf, and, in a short time, it will completely disappear, and the 
solution will have a beautiful yellow color. 

Silver. Pour a little nitric acid upon a small piece of pure silver, or 
silver leaf, and it will be dissolved in a few minutes. 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 133 

Copper. Pour a little diluted nitric acid upon a small piece of copper, 
and, in a short time, the copper will be dissolved, and the solution will 
have a beautiful blue color. 

Lead. Pour a little diluted nitric acid upon a small piece or two of 
lead, which will first convert it into a white powder, and then dissolve it. 

Iron. Pour some sulphuric acid, diluted with about four times its bulk 
of water, upon a few iron filings ; a violent effervescence will ensue, and, 
in a little time, the filings will be dissolved. 

These experiments are intended to show how easily we can dissolve 
metals when we submit them to a proper menstruum. 

METALLIC VEGETATION. 

Mix together equal parts of saturated solutions of silver and mercury, di- 
luted with distilled water : in this mixture suspend five or six drachms of 
pure mercury in a piece of fine linen rag doubled. The metallic solutions 
will soon shoot into beautiful needle-shaped crystals, and attach themselves, 
and adhere strongly, to the bag containing the mercury. When the arbori- 
zation ceases to increase, the bag, loaded with beautiful crystals, may be 
taken out of the vessel where it was formed, by means of the thread by 
%vhioh it is suspended, and hung under a glass jar, where it may be preserv- 
ed as long as may be thought proper. 

THE LEAD TREE. 

Put into a common wine decanter about half an ounce of super-acetate 
of lead, (sugar of lead,) and fill it to the bottom of the neck with distilled 
or rain water; then suspend, by a bit of silk, or thread, fastened also to 
tlie cork or stopper, a piece of zinc wire, two or tiiree inches long, so that 
it may hang us nearly in the centre as possible ; then place the decanter 
where it may not be disturbed. The zinc will very soon be covered with 
beautiful crystals of lead which are precipitated from the solution, and 
this will continue until the whole becomes attached to the zinc, assuming 
the form of a tree or bush, whose leaves or branches are laminal, or in 
plates of metallic lustre. 

THE TIN TREE. 

Into the same, or a similar vessel, to that used for the lead tree, pour 
distilled or rain water, as before, and put in three drachms of muriate of 
tin, and about ten drops of nitric acid. When the salt is dissolved, suspend 
a piece of zinc wire, as in the last experiment, and set the whole aside to 
precipitate without disturbance. In a few hours the effect will be similar 
to that produced by the lead, only that the tree of tin will have more lustre- 
In these experiments it is wonderful to see the lamina, or thin plates, shoot 
out, as it were, from nothing. 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



THE SILVER TREE, 



V 




Put into a decanter four drachms of nitrate of silver, and fill up the de- 
canter with distilled or rain water; then drop in about an ounce of mercury, 

and place the vessel where it 
may not be disturbed : in a short 
time the silver Avill be precipi- 
tated in the most beautiful arbo- 
rescent form, resembling real 
vegetation. 

The above experiments show 
the precipitation of one metal 
by another, owing to the affinity 
that exists between them. The 
metal in solution having a 
greatei" affinity for the pure 
metai suspended in it, precipi- 
tates itself from tlie solution, 
and becomes firmly attached 
thei-eto. The SilVer IVee, pro- 
duced as above described, is 
frequently called Ai'])or Dianae, or the Tree of Diana. 

TRANSMUTATION OF COLORS. 

To 'produce a blue by mixing two colorless fluids. Pom a little of 
ihe solution of sulphate of iron into a glass, then add to it a few drops of 
a solution of prussiate of potash, and the whole will assume a beautiful 
i>lue color. 

In this experiment a decomposition takes place ; the sulphuric acid leav- 
ing tlie iron to unite with the potasli, and the j^russic acid leaving the pot- 
asls to unite with the iron, forming prussiate of iron, and sulphate of potash ; 
tiie snlf)hate of potash remaining in solution, while the prussiate of iron is 
slowly precipitated, falling to the bottom in the state of a fine powder. 
This is the prussian blue of the shops. 

To produce a yellow from two colorless fluids. Pour a little of the 
soliition of nitrate of bismuth into a glass, then add to it a small quantity 
of solution of prussiate of potash, and a yellow color will be immediately 
produced. 

In this experiment, as in the last, we have a decomposition ; nitrate of 
potash and prussiate of bismuth are formed, the prussiate of bismuth giving 
it tlie yellow color. 

To produce a brown from two colorless fluids. Pour a little of the 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 135 

solution of sulphate of copper into a glass, then add to it a small quantity of 
a solution of prussiate of potash, and a reddish brown will be produced, 

In this expei iment we have a sulphate of potash and a prussiate of cop- 
per, which gives the brown color, according to the principle just laid down. 

K To make black ink from two colorless Jluids, Put into a glass a 
quantity of water, and add to it some tincture of galls ; then put in a small 
quantity of a solution of sulphate of iron, and tlie whole will immediately 
become black. 

Here, as in the preceding experiments, a decomposition is effected ; tlie 
gallic acid uniting with the iron, forms our common writing ink. 

A blue color produced from two colorless fluids. Put into a glass a 
quantity of water, and dissolve thei-ein a few crystals of sulphate of copper, 
dien pour in a small quantity of liquid ammonia, and the whole will imme- 
diately be changed to a beautiful blue. 

In this experiment the ammonia unites to the copper, forming ammoniate 
of copper, which is of a beautiful blue, approaching to violet. 

Another way. Take any chalybeate water, (that is, water containing 
iron in solution,) and add to it a little of the solution of prussiate of potash, 
which will clrange it to a blue color, as in a previous experiment. 

Prussiate of potash is one of the best tests for iron that we are acquainted 
with, and will detect its pressure, however minute the quality. 

To change a blue liquid to a red. Pour a little of the infusion of lit- 
mus, or blue cabbage, into a wine glass, and add to it a drop or two of ni- 
tric or sulphuric acid, which will immediately change it to a red color. 

One of the characteristics of acid is that it changes most of the vegetable 
colors to red. This experiment is an instance- 

^ To change a blue liquid to green. Pour a little of the infusion of vi- 
olets into a wine glass, and add to it a few drops of a solution of potash or 
soda, when it will be changed to a beautiful green ; to vvhich, indeed, al- 
kalies change most of the vegetable colors. 

To change a red liquid into various colors. Put a little of the infu- 
sion of red cabbage into three different glasses ; to the first, add a little mu- 
riatic or nitric acid; to the second, a little of the solution of potash; and 
to the third, a little of the solution of sulphate of alumin and potash, 
(alum.) The liquid in the first glass will be converted to a fine crimson, 
that ill the second to a beautiful green, and that in the third to a purple. 

In this experiment the changes take place as in the preceding ones, and 
may be explained on the same principles of decomposition. 



136 CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTSo 

THE MAGIC SHRUB. 

Place a sprig of rosemary, or any otlier garden herb, in a glass jar, so that 
when it is inverted, the stem may be downward, and supported by the sides 
of the vessel ; then put some benzoin acid upon a piece of hot iron, so hot 
that tlie acid may be sublimed, which will rise in form of a thick white 
vapour. Invert the jar over the iron, and leave the whole untouched 
until the sprig be covered by the sublimed acid in the form of a beautiful 
hoar frost. 

Sublimation is the same as distillation, only we call it sublimation when 
the product is collected in a solid form ; the term distillation is applied to 
liquids. In the above experiment we have a beautiful instance of sublima- 
tion, the fumes of the acid rise and are condensed on the cold leaves of the 
plant. 

A LAMP WITHOUT FLAME. 

Procure six or eight inches of platinum wire, about the hundredth part of 
an inch in thickness ; coil it round a small cylinder ten or twelve times, then 
drop it on the flame of a spirit lamp, so that part may touch the wick and 
part renvain above it. Light the lamp, and wlien it has burned a minute or 
two, put it out; the wire will then be ignited, and continue so long as any 
spirit remains in the lamp. 

Lamps manufactured on this principle are sold by some of the chemists in 
London. 

THE EXPLODING TAPER. 

If the light of a taper be blown- out, and the taper be let down into ajar of 
oxygen gas while the snuff (which should be a thick one) remains red hot, it 
rekindles instantly with an explosion. When the taper is relighted, it con- 
tinues to burn with a rapidity, a brilliancy of flame, and an evolution of light 
truly wonderful. 

THE GLOW-WORM IN GAS 

Place a glow-worm withiii ajar of oxj^gen gas, in a dark room ; the insect 
will become more active, and shine with greater brilliancy, than it does in 
common air. Oxygen gas communicates a stimulus to the animal system; 
and it is, probably, owing to this, that the glow-worm becomes more beauti- 
ful in consequence of its being more active, as its luminous appearance is 
suj)posed to depend entirely on the will of the animal. 

THE CANDLE INVISIBLY EXTINGUISHED. 

Place a lighted candle in the bottom of a jar which has its open part upper- 
most, (the jar being filled with atmospheric or conmion air,) then take ajar 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 13T 

filled with carbonic acid gas, and invert it over the jar in which the can« 
die is placed; tb^ effect is very striking; the invisible fluid, being heavier 
tlian atmospheric air, descends like water, and extinguishes the flame. 
The whole, to spectators who have no idea of substance without sensible 
matter, having the appearance of magic. 

TO MAKE WATER BOIL BY GOLD AND CEASE TO BOIL BY HEAT 

Half fill a Florence flask with water, place it over a tamp, and let it boil 
for a few minutes, then cork the mouth of the flask as expeditiously as pos- 
sible, and tie a slip of moist bladder over the "^ork to exclude the air. The 
water being now removed from the lamp, the ebullition will cease, but may 
be renewed by pouring cold water gradually upon the upper part of the 
flask ; but, if hot water be applied, the boiling instantly ceases* In this 
manner the ebullition may be renewed, and again made to cease, alternate- 
ly, by the mere application of hot and cold water. 

We shall, in this place, be more elaborate than usual, and give our young 
friends the theory of what causes the above phenomenon. Be it known, then, 
to all who are not previously acquainted with the fact, that water boils at 212 
degrees under the common pressure of our atmosphere : now, if the atmos- 
phere, or a part of it, were removed, the pressure on the surface would be 
less, and the consequence would be that water would boil at a much lower 
temperature ; and this leads us to an explanation of what takes place in the 
foregoing experiment. We fill a flask half fiill of water, and boil it for a few 
minutes over a lamp, the steam which rises forces out the atmospheric air;, 
and occupies its place ; we then remove the lamp, and secure the flask so 
as to prevent the readmission of atmospheric air. If cold water be now 
poured over that part of the flask occupied by the steam, the cold will con- 
dense the steam, which will trickle down the sides of the flask, and mix with 
the liquor below; the steam being thus condensed, a vacuum is formed 
above the surface. The water, having then no pressure of atmospheric air 
or steam, commences boiling afresh; but if hot water be now poured upon 
it, the steam again occupies the surface, and the boiling ceases. 

A LIQ,UID PRODUCED FROM TWO SOLIDS. 

Mix equal portions of sulphate of soda and acetate of lead, both in fine 
powder : let them be well rubbed together in a mortar, when the two solids 
will operate upon each other, and a fluid will be produced. 

A SOLID PRODUCED FROM TWO LIQUIDS. 

If a saturated solution of muriate of lime be mixed with a saturated solu- 
tion of carbonate of potash, (both transparent liquids.) the result is the forma- 



138 



CHEMICAL AMUSEMENTS. 



tion of an opaque and almost solid mass. If a little nitric acid be added to 
the product, the solid mass will be changed to a transparent fluid. 

These two last experiments were formerly called chemical miracles, but 
the present scientific age no longer consider them so, it being now well 
ascertained that the changes which take place are occasioned by chemical 
decomposition, or the action of one salt upon another. 

THE LITTLE GAS-FACTOR. 

Put a little coal into the bowl of a common tobacco-pipe, stop the mouth 
of it up with clay, and place the bowl in a fire ; as soon as the coal becomes 
heated, a small stream of gas will issue from the top of the pipe. If he put 
a candle to it, the gas Avill light and burn for sometime, sufficiently brilliant 
to illuminate the study of 



Kf)t little as^an^fHttov. 




DRAUGHTS, OR CHECKERS 




To teach his grandson Draughts, then, 

His leisure heM employ, 
Until at last Jhe old man 

Was beaten by the boy. 



Draughts is a game which it is well to learn prior to commencing 
chess ; though by far inferior to that noble pastime, it is at once unobjec- 
tionable and amusing. As in the case of chess, bets are seldom made upon 
the game of Draughts ; it cannot therefore, be deemed, in any measure, 
conducive to gambling, which we most earnestly entreat our young readers, 
on all possible occasions, to avoid, as they value their present comfort and 
future welfare. 

The game of Draughts is said to be of great antiquity, but we cannot dis- 
cover that it was much known in Europe until the middle of the sixteenth 
century. In the year 1668, an elaborate treatise on the game was published 
by a Parisian professor of mathematics, named Mallet. Mr. Payne, a cel- 
ebrated writer on this subject, is said to have copied many of Mallet's 
games ; but both Payne and Mallet have been materially imjMoved upon by 
a later writer, Mr. Sturges. The present treatise, we trust, will rentier any 



140 



DRAUGHTS. 



reference to the above, or any other writers upon Draughts, Superfluous, 
except to the most curious and finished adepts in the game. 

RULES FOR PLAYING. 

In playing Draughts, the table must be placed with an upper white corner 
toward the right hand ; and for the sake of playing the following games and 

preliminary practice, the num- 
bers may be written upon the 
board itself, near a corner of 
each square ; or a table may be 
drawn upon a card, and the 
squares numbered, as in the fig- 
ure : such a table will be a ready 
guide to any move directed. 

The game is played by two 
persons, each of whom takes a 
set oftwelve men of different col- 
ors, generally white and black, 
but they may be of any colors, 
according to the fancy. One 
player, of course, takes all the 
men of one color, and the other 
all those of the other color. The 
black pieces are to be placed on the first twelve white squares, and the white 
on the last twelve white squares, or viceversa. 

When the pieces are thus placed, each player alternately moves one of his 
men forward, angularly, to the next white square ; and wlien moved to a 
square adjoining to an enemy, and another square next angularly behind 
the man so moved is unoccupied at that time, or afterward becomes so, then 
the man so placed or left unguarded must be captured by the enemy, Avhose 
man leaps over to the vacant square, and the prisoner is taken off the board. 
The same practice is immediately to be repeated in case the man effecting a 
capture thereby gets situated angularly fronting an enemy, and is unguarded 
behind. When any man gets onward to the last row opposite to that from 
whence his color started, then he becomes a king, and is crowned by his 
adversary placing another man, previously taken prisoner, upon him j he 
may then move and take either backward or forward. 

In order that the moves may be more perfectly understood, we request 
attention to the following directions : the men should be placed on the board 
precisely as they appear in the cut in the next page, with this difference 
only, that the white pieces may be placed where the black stand, and the 
black where the white are, according to the fancy of the players. The men 
being thus posted, we will suppose that white has the first move. As only 





BJ^B^B^ 


iM'MjJM'm 


B 9 B 10 ^B 11 B 12 


13 B 14 B 15 B 16 B 


B 17 B 18 B 19 B 20 


21 B 22 B 23 B 24 B 


B 25 B 26 B 27 B 28 


29 m 30 Q 31 2 32 m 



DRAUGHTS. 



141 



one of the front rank can be moved, he must either move the man on 21, to 
17 ^ that on 22, to 17 or 18 ; that on 23, to 18 or 19 ; or, that on 24, to 1 9 or 
20. From 22 to 18 is supposed to be the best first move ; we will, therefore, 
imagine that white makes it. It is black's turn to move a piece ; he, like 
his adversary, can only advance one of his front rank men ; he may move 
the man on 9, to 13 or 14 ; that on 10, to 14 or 15 ; that on 11, to 15 or 16 ; 
and that on 12, to 16 only. The white having moved from 22 to 18, the 
black then may move, if he please, from 11 to 15. In the next move, the 

white man on 18, will take the 
man so placed by black on 15, 
by leaping over his head into 11. 
It is now black's turn to move, 
and he, in return, can take 
white's man which stands in 11, 
by either of the men standing on 
7 or 8. In case he makes the 
capture with 7, he jumps over 
the head of the man to be taken, 
into 16 ; if he prefer taking him 
with 8, the move, for that pur- 
pose, is from 8 to 15. An op- 
portunity, here occurs, of giving 
a practical explanation of the 
huff. Supposing, when black 
had moved from 11 to 15, white 
had omitted to take him, in the manner we have just explained, and made 
some other move, white, in this case, would have " stood the huff:" that is, 
black might have taken away the white man that stood on 18, or compelled 
white to have taken him, which he pleased. This is " standing the huff;" 
and, be it recollected, that so taking off the man from 18, is not to be con- 
sidered as a move, black having his move after having so done, before 
white can move again. 

In case the game were in a more advanced state, and that the black man, 
which, at the beginning, stood on 4, had been removed, the white man on 
18, instead of taking only the black man on 15, would have taken the black 
man on 8, in addition, by leaping over 15 into 11, and over 8 into 4, which 
would be reckoned as one move. In this case, the man in 4, having reached 
one of the back squares of the enemy, (1, 2, 3, and 4,) he becomes a king, 
and black crowns him, by placing one of white's captured men on his head. 
The piece can now move, and take either backward or forward, and is of 
great importance. As many of the black men as, in their turn, reach either 
of the squares, 29, 30, 31, 32, immediately become kings, as in the case 
of tlie white men reaching 1, 2, 3, or 4, and, of course, have equal powers. 




142 . DRAUGHTS. 

We will now give a practical example or two of the " kingly powers " of 
fliese " crowned heads. " Supposing a black king stood on 29, a white king 
on 25, a white man on 18, another white king on 19, and a third white king, 
or a white man, on 27,. — if it were black's move, and the board was clear, 
except only of the pieces that are mentioned, he would take them all thus : 
from 29 to 22, taking 25 ; from 22 to 15, taking 18 ; from 15 to 24, taking 
19; and from 24 to 31, taking 27. If, however, the black king only take 
tlie first, second, or third of these pieces, he would stand the huff, (i. e.) the 
adversary might remove the black king off the board, or compel him to take 
tlie piece or pieces in his power, at his, the adversary's, pleasure, 

To show the difference between the moves of a man and a king more 
clearly, suppose, instead of a king, black had only a man on 29, in that 
case, the man might go to 22, taking 25, and from 22 to 15, taking 18 ; but 
here his exploits would end, as he could not move backward from 15 to 
take 19, but, on the contrary, he must rest on 15 ; and, at the next move, 
would himself be taken, by the white king, on 19, jumping over his head 
into 10. 

When all the men, on one side, are taken, or so hemmed in by the 
opposite color, that they cannot move, the person who has played them 
is beaten If, at the latter end of the game, one, two, or three, more or 
less, of each color, be left on the board, and neither can prevail pn the 
other to risk, or if one who is weaker than, or has not the move of the 
other, be determined to go to and fro in safe squares, where he can iiever 
be taken, the game is called drawn, and given up, neither party winning. 
The way to give the finishing stroke to a game, where one color has two 
kings, and the other but one, or where one is, in any respect, a little stronger 
tlian the other, will be found in the following pages; as also hints for a 
weak color making a di'awn game, when the stronger adversary is in sucli 
a situation, as to be unable to get out his pieces to make an attack on the 
weaker party. 

LAWS OF DRAUGHTS. 

The following are a set of laws for the game, which have been sanctioned 
by the first players of Draughts in the kingdom. 

1. Ea.ch player takes the first move alternately, whether the last game 
be won or drawn. 

2. Any action which prevents the adversary from having a full view 
of the men is not allowed. 

3. The player who touches a man must play him. 

4. In case of standing the huff, which means omitting to take a man 
when an opportunity, for so doing, occurred, the other party may either take 
the man, or insist upon his man, which has been so omitted by hia acU 
versary being taken. 



DRAUGHTS. 143 

6. If either party, when it is his turn to move, hesitate above three 
minutes, the other may call upon him to play ; and if, after that, he delay 
above five minutes longer, then he loses the game. 

6. In the losing game, the player can insist upon his adversary taking 
all the men, in case opportunities should present themselves for their being 
fio taken. 

7. Persons not playing are not to advise, or in any manner interfere witli 
the game of either party, 

8. To prevent unnecessary delay, if one color have no pieces but 
two kings on the board, and the other no piece but one king, the latter 
can call upon the former to win the game in twenty moves : if he do not 
finish it within that number of moves, the game is to be relinquished as 
drawn. 

9. If there be three kings to two on the board, the subsequent moves 
are not to exceed forty. 

GAMES FOR PRACTICE. 

It is now time for us to lead our pupil from theory to practice ; for this 
purpose we shall proceed to lay before him a few games and situations, 
which he can either play alone, or with another, on a marked board, such 
as we have previously described. And here we feel it necessary to remark, 
that it will not be sufficient merely to go over the moves indicated in the 
following pages ; by so doing, much time will be lost, and little learned : it 
is indispensable, if the learner be desirous of obtaining any benefit from 
these games, tliat he should carefully look to each series of moves, and, if 
possible, improve upon them as he goes on. The position of a single piece 
may totally defeat the best attacks, and it is not to be supposed that any 
two players will ever, except by some extraordinary accident, make all the 
identical moves, set down in the ensuing games. Still, however, mucli 
may be done by a few schemes of moves; especially, as toward the end, 
the positions of the men are very frequently similar, and we feel convinced, 
that by playing the following few games, (provided proper attention is given 
to them) an insight into the game may be acquired sooner than by the 
longest essay on the subject. We strongly recommend the young Draught- 
player, if he be desirous of speedily acquiring some proficiency in the game, 
to make himself a perfect master of the ends of, as well as any nice situations 
that occur in, the following games, so as to be able to play them, as it were, 
whenever an opportunity may occur. It is the advice of many experienced 
Draught-players, that learners should provide themselves with a common- 
place book for noting down any particular situations that may happen in 
tlieir progress, or such masterly moves, by older hands, as they may have 
the good fortune to witness. Books for this purpose, containing represen- 



144 



DRAUGHTS, 



tations of the board, so that the men placed in tlie proper positions for the 
moves can be marked in, may be had, reasonably, at the ivory turners. 
A book of this sort, containing charts of games, and memoranda of moves, 
by experienced persons, woidd be invahiable to the young Draught-player. 
We shall reserve any further remarks on Draughts for our concluding ob- 
servations, and now proceed at once to the tables and games. 

The letters, N. C. F. T. at the head of each of the games, stand for 
number, color, from, to. 

Game i, in which White loses by the twelfth move. 



N 


C 


F 


T 


N 


^ 


F 


T 


1 


B 


11 


15 


28 


W 


30 


25 


2 


W 


22 


18 


29 


B 


29 


22 


3 


B 


35 


22 


SO 


W 


26 


17 


4 


W 


25 


18 


31 


B 


11 


15 


5 


B 


8 


11 


! 32 


W 


20 


16 


6 


W 


29 


25 


83 


B 


15 


18 


7 


B 


4 


8 


34 


W 


24 


12 


8 


W 


25 


22 


35 


B 


18 


27 


9 


B 


12 


16 


36 


W 


31 


24 


10 


W 


24 


20 


37 


B 


14 


18 


11 


B 


10 


15 


38 


W 


16 


11 


12 


W 


27 


24 


39 


B 


7 


16 


13 


B 


16 


19 


40 


W 


20 


11 


14 


W 


23 


16 


41 


B 


18 


23 


15 


B 


15 


19 


42 


W 


11 


8 


16 


W 


24 


15 


43 


B 


23 


27 


17 


B 


9 


14 


44 


W 


8 


4 


18 


W 


18 


9 


45 


B 


27 


31 


19 


B 


11 


25 


46 


W 


4 


8 


20 


W 


32 


27 


47 


B 


81 


27 


21 


B 


5 


14 


48 


W 


24 


20 


22 


W 


27 


23 


49 


B 


27 


23 


23 


B 


6 


10 


50 


W 


8 


11 


24 


W 


16 


12 


51 


B 


23 


18 


25 


13 


8 


11 


52 


W 


11 


8 


26 


W 


28 


24 


53 


B 


18 


15 


27 


B 


25 


29 


&c. 


W 


los< 


3S. 



DRAUGHTS. 
Game 2, a drawn ^ame. 



145 



N 


C 


F 


T 


N 


C 


F 


T 


1 


B 


11 


15 


28 


W 


30 


25 


2 


W 


22 


18 


29 


B 


6 


9 


3 


B 


15 


22 


30 


W 


13 


6 


4 


W 


25 


18 


31 


B 


1 


10 


5 


B 


8 


11 


32 


W 


22 


13 


6 


W 


29 


25 


33 


B 


14 


18 


7 


B 


4 


8 


34 


W 


23 


14 


8 


W 


25 


22 


35 


B 


16 


SO 


9 


B 


12 


16 


36 


W 


25 


21 


10 


W 


24 


20 


37 


B 


10 


17 


11 


B 


10 


15 


38 


W 


21 


14 


12 


W 


21 


17 


39 


B 


30 


25 


13 


B 


7 


10 


40 


W 


14 


9 


14 


W 


27 


24 


41 


B 


11 


15 


15 


B 


8 


12 


42 


W 


9 


6 i 


16 


W 


17 


13 


43 


B 


2 


9 


17 


B 


9 


4 


44 


W 


13 


18 


18 


W 


18 


9 


45 


B 


15 


15 


19 


B 


5 


14 


46 


W 


6 


2 


20 


W 


24 


19 


47 


B 


7 


10 


21 


B 


15 


24 


48 


W 


2 


6 


22 


W 


28 


19 


49 


B 


10 


14 


23 


B 


14 


17 


50 


W 


6 


9 


24 


W 


32 


27 


51 


B 


25 


21 


25 


B 


10 


14 


52 


W 


31 


26 


26 


W 


27 


24 


53 


B 


14 


17 


27. 


B 


3 


7 


&c. 


W 


drawn. j 



Game 3, whidi is lost by SOth move. 



N 


C 


F 


T 


N 


C 


F 


T 


1 


B 


11 


15 


5 


B 


10 


17 


2 


W 


22 


17 


6 


W 


21 


14 


3 


B 


9 


13 


7 


B 


8 


11 


^ 


W 


17 


14 


8 


W 


24 


19 



146 



DRAUGHTS. 







Game 3, 


continued. 






N 


C 


F 


T 


N 


C 


F 


T 


9 


B 


15 


24 


25 


B 


16 


20 


10 


W 


28 


19 


26 


W 


31 


27 


11 


B 


11 


16 


27 


B 


13 


17 


12 


W 


25 


21 


28 


W 


30 


26 


13 


B 


6 


9 


29 


B 


1 


6 


14 


W 


29 


25 


30 


W 


18 


15 


15 


B 


9 


18 


31 


B 


20 


14 


16 


W 


23 


14 


32 


W 


27 


20 


17 


B 


16 


23 


33 


B 


7 


10 


18 


W 


26 


19 


34 


W 


14 


7 


19 


B 


4 


8 


35 


B 


2 


27 


20 


W 


25 


22 


36 


W 


21 


14 


21 


B 


8 


11 


37 


B 


6 


9 


22 


W 


22 


18 


38 


W 


32 


23 


23 


B 


11 


16 


39 


B 


9 


27 


24 


W 


27 


23 


40 


W 


loses 







Game 4, which is 


lost by ] 


I2th move. 




N 


C 


F 


T 


N 


C 


F 


T 


1 


W 


22 


18 


19 


W 


21 


17 


2 


B 


11 


16 


20 


B 


1 


6 


3 


W 


25 


22 


21 


W 


17 


13 


4 


B 


10 


14 


22 


B 


3 


7 


5 


W 


29 


25 


23 


W 


28 


24 


6 


B 


16 


20 


24 


B 


12 


16 


7 


W 


24 


19 


25 


W 


26 


23 


8 


B 


8 


11 


26 


B 


8 


12 


9 


W 


19 


15 


27 


W 


23 


19 


10 


B 


4 


8 


28 


B 


16 


23 


11 


W 


22 


17 


29 


W 


31 


26 


12 


B 


7 


10 


30 


B 


7 


10 


13 


W 


25 


22 


31 


W 


26 


19 


14 


B 


10 


19 


32 


B 


11 


16 


15 


W 


7 


10 


33 


W 


18 


11 


16 


B 


6 


15 


34 


B 


16 


23 


17 


W 


23 


7 


35 


W 


27 


18 


18 


B 


2 


11 


36 


B 


loses, 





DRAUGHTS. 147 

CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

Even those who have some knowledge of the game of Draughts will, we 
have no doubt, derive much benefit from a perusal of the foregoing pages, 
and become enabled to defeat those by whom they have previously been 
beaten. A person who has never acquired any insight into the game may, 
we flatter ourselves, from the care which we have taken in preparing the 
treatise, acquire considerable proficiency, by a proper attention to our rules 
and instructions. 

The few remarks which we are about to make, as to one circumstance 
in Draughts, could not, we conceive, be so aptly introduced anywhere else 
as here ; we allude to the importance of having the move upon an antago- 
nist. The value of this will, no doubt, have frequently occurred to the 
reader, in the course of the preceding games ; but there are situations, when 
it is not only useless, but detrimental. To have the move when your men 
are in a proper position, upon an open board, will often, in a, short time, 
give you the power of forcing your adversary mto such a situation as will 
render his defeat certain ; but, having the move, when your men are hud- 
dled in confusion together, and you are unprepared to point an attack from 
any quarter, that is to say, when you are strong in number, but powerless 
in position, will, not unfrequently, cause you to lose the game. 

In order to know whether any one of your men have the move over one 
of your adversary's, you must carefully notice their respective positions, and, 
if your opponent have a black square on your right angle under his man, 
you have the move upon him. This is a general rule, and will apply to 
any number of pieces. To illustrate it with an instance : if white have a 
man on 22, it being his turn to play, and black's man be on 11, white has the 
move. A modern writer on this subject, gives another metliod of ascertain- 
ing whether a party, whose turn it is to play, has the move ; namely, by 
counting the squares and the men ; and if the squares be odd, and the men 
even, or the men odd, and the squares even, then the party whose turn it is 
to play has possession of the move : thus, if there be a black man on 19, 
on 26 a white king, on 28 a black king, and on 32 a white man, and white 
have to play, he has aie move, and may certainly win the game, if he act 
judiciously ; the opposite party's men being even, and the white squares, be- 
tween them and his own, odd ; there are three white squares from the black 
king on 28 to the white king on 26, (viz. 24, 27, and 31,) and between the 
black man on 19 and the white man on 32, two white squares, 23 and 27, 
making together, five. White begins by moving his man to 27, the black 
king goes to 32, the white man proceeds to 24, and is taken by the black 
man on 19 ; the white king now goes to 23 ; the black king must next step to 
27, having no other move, (his man being on 28,) and is taken by the white 
king, who thus gets into 32, and wins the game, as black cannot move his man^ 
K2 



148 DRAUGHTS. 

Persons who know but little of this game are sometimes found talking 
lightly of it, as a trifle undeserving of attention; to such speakers we quote 
the following passage from Dr. Johnson's dedication of Payne's Book on 
Draughts ; — " Trifiers may think or make anything a trifle ; but since it 
is the great characteristic of a wise man to see events in their causes, to 
obviate consequences, and ascertain contingencies, your lordship will think 
nothing a trifle by which the mind is inured to caution, foresight, and cir- 
cumspection. " 

In conclusion, we beg to assure our young readers, that, simple as it may 
appear, they will never be able to attain any proficiency in this game, 
without some study, and much caution. Every move should be well con- 
sidered before it is taken ; for, although it does not require one tenth of tlie 
attention necessary to the acquirement of chess, yet it is totally impossible 
for our young friends to derive much amusement at the game, if they are 
not as intent on the purpose of their moves, as the Ca.rrier Pigeon in 
taking his letter to tlie end of his journey. 




LEGERDEMAIN 




Leaviiig, at length, the top and taw, 
We magic learned from sage Breslaw, 
Flockton, Katterfelto, Jonas, 
Oyngell, Moon, Prudhoe, and Comas j 
As conjurors at once to prove us, 
We vomit fire like Mount Vesuvius. 



Circumstances of importance, after a man has arrived at the age of 
maturity, frequently make a much weaker impression on his memory than 
tlie trifling occurrences of his youthful days. The latter engrave all their 
little histories on the ** tablet of the brain," and retain all their original dis- 
tinctness, years and years after those which have subsequently taken place 
are past away and forgotten, — or, at least, until they have left but a dim and 
fast-fading record in the *' chamber of the mind." We cannot, if our 
life depended on it, remember where we first saw the greatest author of tlie 
day, — nor when, within three or four years, we first shook the " great 
captam of the age" by the hand ; but the memory of that moment, which 
revealed to our delighted young gaze the mountebank in all his glory of 
grimace, is as fresh within us, nay, more so, than if it were only a fruition of 
the last past hour. The recollection of an event, one of the most weighty 
and influential, perhaps, of our whole life, which took place some ten years 
ago, or thereabout, has almost departed from us ; we cannot, mentally, and 
without a blunder, con it over fact by fact in regular order, as we often do 
the first exhibition of Legerdemain that we ever witnessed; — we see only 
disjointed portions of it huddled confusedly together — the shadow of tlie 
event, vague and indistinct as the morning vapor, flits occasionally befoMB 



150 LEGERDEMAIN. 

our mind's eye, but the substance itself is almost buried in oblivion ; — while 
every feature of that seeming magician, who swallowed fire — kept it alive 
and brilliant below the surface of water, — enacted other feats of apparent 
dominion over the elements, — caused dumb figures to give proper answers 
to all sorts of questions, — padlocked an urchin's cheek, — and in a hundred 
ways cheated our eyes, before we had well worn out our second suit of boy'a 
clothes, — i^ as well remembered, as though we had never ceased to look 
upon him. He has long since been dead — his body is no more ; but in an 
instant we can conjure up his image, as he stood before us, smiling conten- 
tedly, while bathing his hands in molten lead ! The very order of the won- 
ders he performed has not yet escaped us, and we doubt not, but that should 
we live to be gray-headed, we shall ever be able to tell the color of his eyes, 
— the precise position of a mole which he had on his face, — the first, second, 
third, fourth, and so on, up to the twentieth feat which he exhibited. He 
was an itinerant quack doctor's Jack Pudding, — a mountebank, as we after- 
wards ascertained ; but, at that time, we had not the least idea of who or 
what he could be. It was evident, to our unpractised eye, that he was not 
a mere mortal ; for, no man, as we thought, innocent as we were, could by 
any possibility conjure a shilling, which we held fast in our hand, into one of 
our little school-fellows' pockets, or make a haberdasher's shop of his mouth, 
and draw from it dozens upon dozens of yards of ribbons of all colors, and 
at the option of those around him; we could not conceive that human flesh 
could withstand red-hot iron, or that any power short of witchcraft could re- 
move a thing from before our eyes, which were all the time earnestly fixed 
on it, without our seeing its motion. What virtue was there, we reasoned 
thus, in " Hiccus doctius !" when uttered by the lips of another 1 But no 
sooner did he pronounce those mysterious words, than money danced about 
as if it possessed life. Would " Crinkum Bovis, Domine Jovis I" restore a 
chicken to life after its head was cut oiF, were the phrase to come from any 
but him 1 It was clearly impossible. What could he be then 1 Certainly 
not a mere mortal ; and if not — what was he 1 Here we were as much 
involved and puzzled in conjecture, as a grave philosopher upon some learn- 
ed and abstruse problem. The feat which mystified us most was this : — 
He apparently devoured a piece of raw meat, and then actually, as it 
seemed to us, swallowed a quantity of fire, as he said, to dress it — thus 
making his stomach its own cook, and his inside, a kitchen ! 

Remembering, as we do, the delight we felt at this, our first glance at 
Legerdemain, and the pleasure which we afterwards derived on sundry 
occasions during the youthful period of our life, from similar, but still more 
astonishing and scientific exhibitions, as well as the gratification it frequently 
afforded us, when a boy, to play off certain feats of conjuring, which we had 
learned from a highly-talented professor ; and knowing, as we well do, that 
the youthful mind is, as ours once was, fond of this sort of recreations, we 



LEGERDEMAIN. 151 

sliall bestow even more than our usual pains in making this article as rich 
and complete as can be consistent with the nature of our work. We thmk 
that it would be by no means rasli in us to pledge ourselves, that there is no 
superior treiitise on Legerdemain to be obtained ; it is true, tliat there are a 
few more bulky ones, but they contain so much useless matter, and accounts 
of tricks which it is impossible to perform at all, or, at any rate, by 
the rude, antiquated instructions which tney afford, that one half of tliem is 
useless. The following pages will, we trust, be found to contain everything 
that is valuable in this art, unencumbered with dross. We have brought a 
tolerable share of knowledge on this matter, to the preparation of "Feats of 
Legerdemain ;" we have also gleaned the cream of several old and scarce 
works, and translated many clioice recreations from foreign publications on 
tills subject. Several friendly contributions have been afforded to us ; and 
what is of the greatest value, we have been favored w4th the assistance of 
some eminent and highly popular professors of the art ; so that, we are en- 
abled to present to our young readers a collection of conjuring tricks, which is 
at once copious and select. Our object has been, not only to facilitate tlie 
acquisition of such a variety of amusing feats, as wiil render him, who is 
enabled to exhibit them, a parlor magician, but also to instruct our young 
readers in the mode of performing several master-pieces of Legerdemain, 
which requiie considerable agility, and expensive apparatus, so that they 
may understand the means of effecting the apparent wonders displayed by 
tlie public professors of the arc. In addition to the Feats of Legerdemain, 
we have devoted several of our pages to descriptions of various Automata 
and Androides, which have been exhibited to the public. The Marion- 
nettes, or figures, whose motions are governed by strings, are too simple for 
a lengthened notice : it is true, that, among the ancients, they were deemed 
of importance sufficient to be exhibited in their public shows, — ^but they are 
now mere toys, of which every lad knows the construction ; for there are 
few who have not at one time or other possessed, played with, and dissected 
a pasteboard harlequin, or a bleeding nun. An improvement has lately 
been made on these juvenile Marionettes, which, while we are on this 
subject, is perhaps deserving of notice. The limbs, body, and head of a 
comic figure, are drawn and colored on a piece of paper, cut out, and 
gummed separately to a piece of card of similar dimensions ; they are then 
united by bits of thread, which, acting as hinges, suffer them to play loosely, 
and in various directions, when tlie body is moved. A piece of dark twine 
is fastened, by its middle, to the back of the body ; the ends are tied, by a 
boy, just below his two knees ; he sits, on a low stool, in a dark place, with 
a ligni on the ground, a little in front of him — the spectators standing at 
some distance from the light. By moving his knees quickly to and from 
each other, a variety of grotesque motions is given to the Marionnette, whicli 
dances, apparently, without assistance. 



152 LEGERDEMAIN. 

We doubt not but tliat this part of the work will be a favorite amuse- 
ment with our readers, and that it will afford much innocent amusement 
during the long evenings of winter, around the comfortable parlor fire, 
to many a little social circle. Such is our end and intent; and we assure 
those who amuse themselves, whether alone or in society, with these Feats 
of Legerdemain, that they are indulging only in what is often instructive, 
generally agreeable, and always innocent. 

We must detain our readers from the practical instructions, to make a 
few more observations, which are necessary, as well on our own behalf as 
for their benefit. We wish it to be remembered, that in addition to the 
matter contained under this title, many excellent scientific recreations, which 
will be accounted capital conjuring tricks, are to be found in the preceding 
pages, among the Chemical, Arithmetical, and Optical Amusements, and 
elsewhere in the work ; where they are more properly placed than they 
would be here ; and to these we take leave to refer those who have an in- 
clination to become " Magiciens de Societe." 

THE POISED PENNY. 

Place a smooth card on the tip of the middle finger of your left hand, and 
on it, nicely balanced, and with its centre exactly over your finger's point, a 
penny-piece. Then, by a smart fillip with the middle finger of your right 
hand, you may strike away the card fi'om under the penny, leaving the lat- 
ter poised on the tip of your finger. A very little practice will enable you 
to do this trick without ever failing. The card must be carefully struck, 
so as to drive it straight off the finger; if you fillip it upward, it will, of 
course, take the penny with it. ( Vide cut at head.) 

WATER BEWITCHED. 

Pour some water into a plate, light a bit of loosely-crumpled paper, and 
throw it into a glass ; then turn the glass upside down, with the burning 
paper in it, in the plate, and the water will gradually rise from the plate 
into the glass, until the latter becomes half full, so that the smface of the 
water it contains is much higher than that of what is left in the plate. 

FIRE UNDER WATER. 

Fasten a small bit of wood across the mouth of a glass, stick therein a 
piece of candle lighted, and, with a steady hand, convey the mouth to tlie 
surface of the water ; then push it carefully down, and the candle will burn 
imder the water; you may even bring the candle up again lighted. In the 
same manner, you may put a handkerchief, rolled tightly together, and it 
will not be wet. 



LEGERDEMAIN 15S 

Tlie principal art in performing this trick, consists in the nicety of 
bringing the mouth of the glass exactly level with the surface of the water ; 
for, if you put it in the least on one side, the water will rush in, and con- 
sequently put out the candle, or, in tlie other case, wet the handkerchief;, 
so that a nice eye and steady hand are necessarily requisite for this per- 
formance. 

THE SENTINEL EGG. 

Lay a looking-glass upon an even table ; take a fresh egg, and shake it 
for sometime, so that the yolk may be broken and mixed up with the white* 
You may then, witli a steady hand, balance it on its point, and make it 
stand on the glass. This it would be impossible to do while the egg was 
in its natural state. 

THE BRIDGE OF KNIVES. 

To erect the bridge of knives, you must first place three glasses, or 
small cups at the corners of a supposed triangle, and about tlie length of 

one of the knives you use distant from 
each other, upon a table, the floor, or 
any even surface. Then take three 
knives, and arrange them upon the 
glasses in the manner represented by 
the cut. The blade of No. 1 (as you 
may perceive by inspecting the engrav- 
ing) goes over that of No. 2, and the 
blade of No. 2 passes across that of No. 
3, which rests on that of No. 1. The 
knives being placed in this position, their blades will support each other. 

EATABLE CANDLE-ENDS. 

Peel some large apples that are rather of a yellow tint ; cut several 
pieces out of them in the shape of a candle-end, round, of course, at tlie 
bottom, and square at the top ; in fact, as much as possible, like a candle 
that has burnt down within an inch or so. Then, cut some slips out of 
the insides of sweet almonds, fashion them as much in the shape of sperma- 
ceti wicks as you can, stick them into your mock candles, light them for an 
instant, so as to make their tops black, blow them out again, and they are 
ready for use. When you produce them, light them, (the almond will 
readily take fire, and flame for a few moments,) put them into your mouth, 
chew and swallow them one after another. This may well be called the 
juggler's dessert. 




154 LEGERDEMAIN, 

THE LITTLE FLOATING BEACON. 

Fasten a piece of lead to the end of a candle which has been half burnt; 
place it very gently in the water, so that it may find its proper equilibrium ; 
then light it, and it will burn to the end without sinking. 

THE RINGS AND RIBBONS. 

Take two pieces of ribbon, precisely alike in length, breadth, and color; 
double each of them, separately, so that their ends meet ; then tie them to- 
gether very neatly, with a bit of silk of their own color, by the middle, or 
crease made in doubling them. This must all be done beforehand. When 
you are going to exhibit this trick, pass some rings on the doubled ribbons, 
and give the two ends of one ribbon to one person to hold, and the two 
ends of the other to another. Do not let them pull hard, or the silk will 
break, and your trick be discovered by the rings falling on the ground, 
on account of the separation of the ribbons. Request the two persons to 
approach each other, and take one end fi'om each of them, and without 
their perceiving it, return to each of them the end which the other had 
previously held. By now giving the rings, which appeared strung on 
tlie ribbon, a slight pull, you may break the silk, and they will fall into 
your hand. 

THE THUMB-STRING. 

This is a very simple trick, but by performing it quickly, you may 
surprise and puzzle a spectator very considerably. Wind a piece of string 
round your thumb, thus : — Let one end of it (a) 
drop between the thumb and fore-finger of your 
left hand ; then wind the other part, which you 
retain in your right hand, two or three times 
round your thumb; next, make a little loop (b) 
with the same end, which hold between your 
finger and thumb. Now let go the end, (c) and 
take hold of the end, (a) which you must have 
left about six or eight inches long, and you may 
make a spectator fancy you pass it through the 
loop, and take hold of it again, when so passed 
itlirough, in the twinkling of an eye. To increase the sm-prise, you may 
make the loop as small as possible. This apparent piece of manual dex- 
terity is performed by passing that end of the string marked a, as quickly as 
possible round the top of the thumb, so as to come between the fore-finger 
and thumb : it will thus get into the loop, and you will seem to have passed 
the end through it. 




LEGERDEMAIN. 155 

WINE UPON WATER. 

Half fill a glass with water, throw a bit of the crumb of a loaf into it, 
about the size of a nut, pour some wine lightly on the bread, and you will 
see the water at the bottom of the glass, and the wine floating at the top 
of it. 

THE conjuror's JOKE. 

Take a ball in each hand, and stretch your hands as far as you can-, one 
from the other ; then state that you will contrive to make both the balb 
come into either hand, without bringing the hands near each other. If any 
one dispute your power of doing this, you have no more to do, than to lay 
one ball down upon the table, turn yourself, and take it up with your other 
hand. Thus both the balls will be in one of your hands, without their ap- 
proaching each other. 

THE PERILOUS GOBLET, 

To fill a glass with water, so that no one may touch it without spilling adl 
the water. Fill a common wine-glass or goblet with water, and place upon 
it a bit of paper, so as to cover tlie water and edge of the glass ; put the 
palm of your hand on the paper, and taking hold of the glass with the other, 
suddenly invert it on a very smooth table, and gently draw out the paper ; 
the water will remain suspended in the glass> and it will be impossible to 
move the glass, without spilling all the water. 

THE ENCHANTED COCK. 

Bring a cock into a room with both your hands close to his vikings, and 
hold them tight ; put him on a table, and point his beak down as straight as 
possible ; then let any one draw a line, with a piece of chalk, directly from 
its beak, and all the noise you can possibly make will not disturb him, for 
some time, from the seeming lethargy, which that position you have laid 
him in has effected. 

TO LIGHT A CANDLE BY SMOKE. 

When a candle is burnt so long as to leave a tolerably large wick, blow 
it out; a dense smoke, which is composed of hydrogen and carbon, will 
immediately arise. Then, if another candle, or lighted taper, be applied to 
the utmost verge of this smoke, a very strange phenomenon will take place ; 
the flame of the lighted candle will be conveyed to that just blown out, as if 
it were borne on a cloud, or, rather, it will seem like a mimic flash of lighte- 
ning proceeding at a slow rate. 




166 LEGERDEMAIN. 

THE WONDERFUL RE-ILLUMINATION. 

After having exhibited the trick of lighting a candle by smoke, privately 
put a bit of paper between your fingers, and retire to one corner of the 

room with a single candle, and pass the 
hand, in which you hold the paper, 
several times slowly over the candle, 
until the paper takes fire ; then imme- 
diately blow the candle out, and pre- 
sently, pass your hand over the snuff, 
and relight it with the paper. You 
may then crumple the paper, at the 
same time extinguishing the fiame, by 
squeezing it suddenly, witliout burning 
yourself. If this trick be performed 
dexterously, it is a very good one. It 
is not necessary for the performance 
of this trick that all the otlier lights 
in the room should be extinguished ; in fact, the trick is more liable to a 
discovery in a dark room, than in one where the candles are burning, on 
account of the light thrown out by the paper while it is burning, previous 
to the re-illumination. 

TO SUSPEND A RING BY A BURNT THREAD. 

The thread having been previously soaked two or three times in common 
gait and water, tie it to a ring, not larger than a wedding ring. When yon 
apply the flame of a candle to it, though the thread burn to ashes, it wiH 
yet sustain the ring. 

THE ANIMATED SIXPENCE. 

To make a sixpence leap out of a pot. This is done by means of a long 
black horse-hair, fastened to the rim of a sixpence, by a small hole driven 
tln-ough it. This feat should be done by night, with a candle placed be- 
tween the spectators and the operator, their eyes being thereby hindered 
from discerning the deception. 

THE FASCINATED BIRD. 

Take any bird, and lay it on a table ; then wave a small feather over 
its eyes, and it will appear as dead, but taking the feather away, it will re- 
vive again. Let it lay hold of the stem part of the feather, and it will 
twist and turn like a parrot ; you may likewise roll it about, on the table, 
just as you please. 




LEGERDEMAIN 157 

TO LIFT A BOTTLE WITH A STRAW. 

Take a straw, and having bent the thicker end of it in a sharp angle^ 
as the figure subjoined, put this curved end into a bottle, so that the bent 
part may rest against its side ; you may 
then take the other end and lift up the bot- 
tle by it, without breaking the straw, and 
this will be the more readily accomplished 
as the angular part of the straw approaches 
nearer to that which comes out of the bottle. 
It is necessary, in order to succeed in this 
feat to be particularly careful in choosing a 
stout straw, which is neither broken nor 
bruised ; if it have been previously bent or 
damaged, it is unfit for the purpose 
of performing this trick, as it will be too 
weak in the part so bent, or damaged, 
to support the bottle. 

THE MOVING PYRAMID. 

Roll up a piece of paper, or other light substance, and privately put into 
it any small insect, such as a lady-bird, or beetle ; then, as the creature will 
naturally endeavour to free itself from captivity, it will move its covering 
towards the edge of the table, and when it comes there, will immediately 
return, for fear of falling ; and thus, by moving backward and forward, will 
excite much diversion to those who are ignorant of the cause. 

THE PAPER FURNACE. 

Enclose a bullet in paper, as smoothly as possible, and suspend it above 
the flame of a lamp or candle ; you will soon see it begin to melt and fall, 
drop by drop, through a hole which it will make in the paper ; but the pa- 
per, except the hole mentioned, will not be burnt. The art of performing 
this trick consists in using a smooth round bullet, and enclosing it in the 
paper with but few folds or uneven places. 

THE BOTTLE EJECTMENT. 

Fill a small white glass bottle, with a very narrow neck, fiiU of wine 5 
place it in a glass vase, which must previously have sufficient water in it to 
rise above the mouth of the bottle. Immediately, you will perceive the wine 
rise, in the form of a little column, toward the surface of the water, and tlie 
water will, in the meantime, begin to take the place of the wine at the bot- 
tom of the bottle. The cause of this is, that the water is heavier than tlie 
wine, which it displaces, and forces to rise toward tine surface. 



158 



LEGERDEMAIN. 




THE BALANCED STICK. 

Procure a piece of wood about tlie length of your hand, half an inch 
duck, and twice as broad ; within a siiort distance of one end of this piece, 

thrust in the points of the blades of 
two penknives of equal weight, in 
such a manner, that one of them 
may incline to one side, the second 
to the other, as represented by the 
cut in the margin. If its other ex- 
tretnity be placed on the tip of the 
finger, the stick will keep itself up- 
right without falling ; and if it be 
made to incline, it will raise itself 
again and recover its former situ- 
ation. This is a very pretty per- 
formance, and, if properly man- 
aged, cannot fail to excite some 
surprise in the minds of those who 
behold it for the first time, as the 
knives, instead of appearing to balance the stick, which they in fact do, 
will rather appear to increase the diliiculty of the feat. 

STORM AND CALM. 

Pour water into a glass until it is nearly three parts full ; then almost fill 
it up with oil ; but, be sure to leave a little space between the oil and the 
top of the glass. Tie a bit of string round the glass, and fasten the two ends 
of another piece of string to it, one on each side, so that, when you take hold 
of the middle of it to lift up the glass, it may be about a foot from your hand. 
Now swing the glass to and fro, and the oil will be smooth and unruffled, 
while the surface of the water beneath it will be violently agitated. 

THE TRAVELLING EGG. 

Take a goose's egg, and, after opening and cleansing it, put a bat into 
the shell ; glue it fiist on the top, and the bat wdll cause the egg to move 
about in a manner that will excite much astonishment. 

THE DOUBLED COIN. 

Half fill a glass of water, and put a shilling or a sixpence into it ; cover 
the glass with a plate, upon which, place one hand, while you hold the 
glass with the other ; turn the glass upside down, so that none of the water 
may escape ; place it on a table, and you will see the coin, at the bottom, 
laiger than it is in reality, and another will appear, of the natiural size, a 
iittle above it. 



LEGERDEMAirsT. 



159 




THE toper's tripod. 

A trick similar to the Bridge of Knives may be performed hj tliree* 
tobacco-pipes, in the following manner : — Procm-e three common tobacco- 
pipes ; place the hollow part of 
the bowl of one of them on the 
table, as No. 1, and let its stem 
be supported by another, placed 
at No» 2; then put the other 
pipe across Nos. 1 and 2, (as 
No. 3,) so that its bowl end may 
support the stem of No. 2, and 
its own stem rest on the bowl 
end of No. 3. This little tripod^ 
although eon^tructed of such 
brittle materials, will^ if careful- 
ly put together, support a jug 
of foaming October. When 
used to show that it will support a weight, the three bowls should be brought 
considerably closer together than as represented im the marginal cut, so that 
the bottom of the jug may rest upon all three of the stems. 
the knotted thread. 
Considerable amusement, not unmixed with wonder, may be occasioned 
among a party of ladies, by a clever performance of this trick. It is most 
frequently performed by a female, but the effect of it is considerably increas- 
ed when it is displayed by a boy. A piece of calico, muslin, or linen, is 
taken in the left hand, a needle is threaded in the presence of the spectators^ 
and the usual, or even a double or treble knot made at the extremity of one 
of the ends of it. The operator commences his work by drawing the needle 
and the thread in it quite through the linen, notwithstanding the knot, and 
continues to make several stitches in like manner successively. 

The mode of performing this seeming wonder, is as follows : a bit of 
tfiread, about a quarter of a yard long, is turned once round the top of th& 
middle finger of the right hand, upon which a thimble is then placed to keep 
it secure. This must be done privately and the thread kept concealed^ 
while a needle is threaded with a bit of thread of a similar length. The 
thread in the needle must have one of its ends drawn up nearly close, and be 
concealed between the fore-finger and thumb; the other should hang dovvD/- 
nearly as long as, and by the side of the thread, which is fastened under tlie 
thimble, so that these two may appear to be the two ends of the thread. 
The end of the piece that is fastened under the thimble is then knotted, and 
the performer begins to sew, by moving his hand quickly after he ]ias ta- 
ken up the stitch. It will appear as though he actually passed t^ knotted 
thread through the cloth. 



160 



LEGERDEMAIN. 



THE BOTTLE IMPS. 

Get three little hollow figures of glass, an inch and a half high, representing 

imps, or Harlequin, Co- 
lumbine, and Pantaloon, 
which may be obtained at 
the glass-blowers, with a 
small hole in each of their 
legs. Immerge them into 
water contained in a glass 
bottle, which should be 
about fifteen inches high, 
and covered with a blad- 
der tied fast over" the top. 
A small quantity of air 
must be left between the 
bladder and the surface of 
the water. When you 
think fit to command the 
figures to go down, press 
_ your hand hard upon the 
^ top, and they will imme- 
diately sink; when yon 
___ would have them rise to 

liiiililiiliiiiliSlliiiilllilllllllltiilllillllllllli the top, take your hand 

away, and they will float 

ap. By these means, you may make them dance in the middle of the glass 

Rt your pleasure. 

THE BIRD IN THE BOX. 

Get a box made with a false lid, on which glue some bird-seed ; privately 
put a bird into it, under the false lid; then show it, and it will seem to be 
full of seed. Piit on the true lid, and say, — " I will command all the seed 
out of this box, and order a living bird to appear." Then, take oflf tlie 
covers together, and the bird will be seen. 




THE MULTIPLYING MIRROR. 

This feat must be performed with a looking-glass made on purpose ; the 
manner of making it is this :•— First, make a hoop, or fillet of wood or horn, 
about the size of a half-crown piece in circumference, and about a quarter 
of an inch in thickness. In the middle, fasten a bottom of wood or brass, and 
bore in H several small holes, about the size of peas ; then open one side of 
this bottom, set in a piece of crystal-glass, and fasten it in the hoop close to 



LEGERDEMAIN. 



16! 



tlie bottom. Take a quantity of quicksilver, and put us much Into tlie hoop 
ks will cover the bottom; then let into it another piece of crystal-glass, fitted^ 
to it ; cement the sides, that the (juickJilver may not ran out, and the appa- 
ratus is complete. One side will reflect the beholder's face as a common 
iooking-glass ; in the other it will be multiplied according to tlie number 
■of holes in the wood or brass. 

thp: bogle bodkin. 

Take a hollow bodkin, (or, if you prefer it, a dagger,) »o that the blade 
may slip into the handle as soon as the point is held upward. Seem to thrust 
h into yom' fweliead, (or, if a dagger, into your bosom,) then, after showmg 
some appearance of pain;, pull away your hand suddenly, holding tise point 
downward, and it will fall out, and appear not to have been thrust into the 
liaft ; but, immediately afterv/ard, throw the bodkin, or dagger, into your 
Jap or pocket, and pull out another plain one like it, which will completely 
^ieceive the spectatoi^. 



THE PRANCING DRAGOON, 

Cut out the figure of a Dragoon, mounted, in wood ; let the hoi'se he m 

a prnnciiig position : put the hind- 
legs on the edge of a table, and it 
will, of course, fall off ^ but you can 
prevent it from so doing, by adding 
to its weight. F<n' this purpose, 
you must have a little hole made 
ill the centre of its belly, into wJiicfci 
run one end of a piece of wire, sis* 
bent backward, that the odier end 
of it, to which a weight is fixed, 
may be under the table. Tli« 
Dragoon will not only stand saf«, 
but you may put him in motion, 
^nd he will prance up and down, 
without there being the least dan- 
ger of his falling. The w Ire should 
be considei'ably longer in propor- 
tion to the size of the horse than is 
represented in the engraving in 
the naargin, if you wish the figure 
to come much below the edge of the table whe^i pranchig. If it be no longer 
dian that shown in the cut, the horse's fore-legs can only descend to a 
distance equal to that between the weight at the €nd of the wire, and J Ik: 




162 



LEGERDEMAIN. 



bottom of the table on which the figure is set. In fact, the Dragoon n.ay 
be made to descend lower, and rise higher, in proportion to the length of 
tlie wire, if it be properly curved and fixed in the figure. 

THE MYSTERIOUS BOTTLE. 

Pierce a few holes, with a glazier's diamond, in a common black bottle 5 
place it in a vase or jug of water, so that the neck only is above the surface. 
Then, with a funnel, fill the bottle, and cork it well, while it is in the jug 
ar vase. Take it out, and notwithstanding the holes in the bottom, it will 
not leak ; wipe it dry, and give it to some person to uncork. The moment 
the cork is drawn, to the party's astonishment, the water will begin to nm 
out of the bottom of the bottle. 

THE HALF-CROWN UPHELD. 

Privately cut the rim of the edge which is raised to protect the face of a 
half-crown, so that a little bit of the silver may stick up ; take the coin in your 
right hand, and by pressing it with your thumb against a door or wainscot, 
tlie bit that sticks up will enter the wood, and thus support the half-crown. 

THE BOWING BEAU. 

Make a figure, resembling a man, of any substance, exceedingly light, 
such as the pith of the alder tree, which is 
soft, and can easily be cut into any form J 
then provide for it an hemispherical base, of 
some very heavy substance, such as the half 
of a leaden bullet, made very smooth on the 
convex part. Cement the figure to the plane 
part of the hemisphere ; and, in whatever 
position it is placed, when left to itself, it will 
rise upright. In this manner were construct- 
ed those small figures, called Prussians, sold 
at Paris : they were formed into battalions, 
and being made to fall down, by drawing a 
rod over them, they immediately started up 
again as soon as it was removed. We think, 
that the figuie of a beau, or master of the 
ceremonies, is much more appropriate fof 
this trick, than that of a soldier ; as the latter 
seldom bows, while, by the former, the most 
profound inclinations are often performed. 
By moving it once downward a succession of bows may be produced. 




LEGERDEMAIN. 163 

THE WONDERFUL WAFERS. 

On each side of a table-knife, place, in the presence of your company, 
tliree wafers. Take the knife by the handle, and turn it over two or three 
times, to show that the wafers are all on. Desire some person to take off 
one wafer from one side of the blade ; turn the knife two or three times 
again, and there will appear only two wafers on each side ; remove another 
wafer, turn the knife as before, and there will appear only one wafer on 
each side; take the third wafer away, turn the knife as before twice or 
tln^ice, and there v/ill ap})ear to be no wafer on either side. After a mo- 
mentary pause, turn the knife again two or three times, and three wafers 
will appear on ea(^h side. 

The secret of this capital trick consists in using wafers of the same size 
and color, and turning the knife, so that the same side is constantly pre- 
sented to the view, and the wafers are taken off that side, one by one. Tlie 
tiiree wafers will thus remain untouched on the other side, so that when you 
have first made it appear tliat there are no wafers on either side, you may, 
anparently, show three on each, by the same means. The way to turn the 
knife is as follows ; when you ]ift it up, turn it in your hand, with your finger 
and thumb, completely round, until the side that was uppermost when you 
lifted it, comes uppermost again. This is done in an instant, and is not 
perceptible, if adroitly managed. 

THE COUNTER CHANGED. 

Tiike two papers, three inches square each, divided into two folds, of 
three equal parts on each side, so as each folded paper remain one inch 
square ; then glue the back part of the two together, as they are folded, and 
not as they are opened, so that both papers seem to be but one, and which 
side soever you open, it may appear to be the same ; if you have a sixpence 
in one hand, and a counter in the other, show one, and you may, by turn- 
ing the paper, seem to change it. ' 

THE CUT LACE JOINED. 

Conceal a piece of lace in your hand ; then produce another piece of the 
p-ame pattern ; double the latter, and put the fold between your fore-finger 
and thumb, with the piece which you have previously concealed, doubled in 
the same manner ; pull out a little of the latter, so as to make a loop, and 
desire one of the company to cut it asunder. If you have conveyed the con- 
cejiled piece of lace so dexterously as to be undetected, with the other Be- 
tween your thumb and fore-finger, the spectators will, naturally enough, 
^liink you have really cut the latter; which you may seem to malie whole 
L 2 



164 



LEGERDEMAIN* 



again, while repeating some conjuring words, and putting away the two 
ends of the piece that is actually cut. 

THE wizard's chariot. 

This trick will call your mechanical abilities into play. First, get a piece 
of board, planed quite smooth; fasten a cross-piece under it, to support it in 

the position indicated by 
the cut. At the uppei 
edge of the slanted piece, 
fix two little pulleys, the 
use of which may, at a 
glance, be seen by the 
engraving. I^ext) con- 
struct two little coaches, 
carts, or classical trium- 
phal chariots ; let the 
wheels of one of th^em be 
considerably larger than 
those of the other ; they 
must, however, be pre- 
cisely the same weight, 
or, if not, you must load 
one with shot to make it 
equal, in this respect, to 
the other. Do your 
work so neatly, that the wheels of each may run equally well on their respec- 
tive axles. Next provide two lumps of lead, which must tally with each other 
to a scruple, and be sufficiently heavy to pull the chariots up the plane. Fix 
a piece of thread to the front of each of the chariots ; pass tliese threads 
tJu"ough the pulleys, and fasten one of your weights to each of them. The 
threads, be it remarked, should be long enough only to reach from the 
chariots, when placed at the foot of the inclined board, through the pulleys to 
the leads ; and the board should be so inclined, that the distance from the 
pulleys to the ground be precisely the same as that of the chariots to the pul- 
leys. Your apparatus being thus ready, weigh the chariots together, and 
afterwards the leads in the presence of the spectators, that they may be 
satisfied they are equal, and let them inspect your apparatus, to see that all 
is fair : then start your chariots, and, notwithstanding the equality of their 
weights, and the equality of those of the leads, one of them will considerably 
ontstrip the other ; the chariot with the highest wheels will always be the 
winner of the race. This mechanical truth is unknown to many, and may 
if properly managed, produce much surprise. 




LEGERDEMAIN. 



165 




THE SIMPLE DECEPTION. 

Stick a little wax upon your thumb, take a by-stander by the fingers, show 
him a sixpence, and tell him you will put the same into his hand ; then wring 
it down hard with your waxed thumb, and, using many words, look him in 
the face; suddenly take away your thumb, and the coin will adhere to it; 
then close his hand it will seem to him that the sixpence remains ; now tell 
him to open his hand, and, if you perform the feat cleverly, to his great 
astonishment, he will find nothing in it. 

PHILOSOPHY CHEATED. 

This feat is really an excellent one, and has a!;=tonished crowds of specta- 
tors in London, and different parts of the United Kingdom. It was one of 
the favorites of a late popular professor, and is now first promulgated. 
Before you perform it in public, you must practice it, until you are quite 
perfect, in private, for it would be a pity to spoil its effect by making a blun- 
der in it. Begin by stating very serio!isly, what is a well-known fact, that if 
a bucket full of water be hurled round his head by a man, who is sufficiently 
strong, none of the water will fall out. If this be at all discredited, be pre- 
pared not only to support your assertion, but to (^arry the point still further, 
by placing a tumbler full of any liquid in the inside of a broad hoop, which 
you hold in your hand by a small piece of string fixed to it, and twirling it 
round at your side. If you do this with velocity, although the tumbler, in 
the circles made by the hoop, is frequently (juite bottom upward, it will 
neither fall from the hoop, nor will any of the water be spilt. To do this, 
however, requires even more practice than the trick which it prefaces; as, 
although there is no difficulty in it while the hoop is m rapid motion, 
yet there is some danger until you are rendered expert by practice, 
of the tumbler's falling, when you begin to put the hoop in motion, and 
when you wish to stop it. If, therefore, you are not perfectly capable 



166 



LEGERDEMAIN. 




of doing it, state the fact only, which some or other of your auditors will 
•nost probably support, as it is pretty generally known. You now go on to 
say, that the air, under the water in the glass, when it is topsy-turvy, keeps 
it in : and that, upon the same principle, if you can turn your hand, upon 
which you place a piece of thin wood, (about one inch broad, and six inches 
long,) sufficiently quick, although the back be uppermost, the air will actually 
keep the wood up against the palm of your hand, without any support. 
This they will be readily incb'ned to believe ; the more philosophical the 
party is, the more easy may you lead 
them to credit your assertion. They 
will, however, doubt your being pos- 
sessed of sufficient manual dexterity 
to perform it quick enough. 

We must now tell you how it is to be 

done : — Lay the piece of wood across 

the palm of your left hand, which keep 

wide open, with the thumb and all the 

fingers far apart, lest you be suspected 

of supporting the wood with them. 

Next, take your left wrist in your right 

hand, and grasp it tightly, for the pm'- 

pose, as you state, of giving the hand 

more steadiness. Now, suddenly turn 

ihii back of your left hand uppermost, and, as your wrist moves in your right 

liand, stretch out the fore-finger of your right hand, and as soon as the wood 

comes undermost, support it with such fore-finger. You may now shake 

the hand, and, after a moment or two, 
suffer the wood to drop. It is two to 
one but the spectators will admit it to be 
produced by the action of the air, as you 
had previously stated, and try to do it 
themselves ; but, of course, they must, 
unless you have performed the feat so 
awkwardly as to be discovered, fail in its 
performance. If you have no objection 
to reveal the secret, you can do it again, 
and, while they are gravely philosophi- 
zing upon it suddenly lift up your hand, 
(vide cut,) and expose the trick. This 
will, doubtless, create much amusement. 
Observe that in doing this feat, you must 
keep your fingers so low, that no one 
can see the palm of your left hand ; and 




LEGERDEMAIN. 



167 



move your finger so carefully, that its action may not be detected ; and if it 
be not, you may rest satisfied that its absence from round the wrist of the 
left hand will not be discovered, some of the fingers being naturally sup- 
posed to be under the coat ; so that, if the spectators only see two or ever 
one, they will imagine the others are beneath the cuff. There is one other 
observation necessary before we conclude ; it is this, when you have turned 
your hand over, do not keep the stick too long upheld, lest the spectators 
should take hold of your hands, and discover the trick; before their aston- 
ishment has ceased, adroitly remove your fore-finger, and suffer the stick 
to fall to the ground. 

THE LOCKED JAV\r. 

A lock is made for tlie purpose, similar to the cut ; that side of its bow 

marked A, must be fix- 
ed ; the other, B, must 
be pinned to the body of 
the lock, at E; so that it 
may play to and fro with 
ease. This side of the 
bow should have a leg, 
with two notches filed 
on the inner side, which 
must be so contrived, 
j that one may lock or 
hold the two sides of the 
bow as close together 
as possible, and the oth- 
er notch hold them a 
proportionable distance 
asunder, so that when 
locked upon the cheek 
they may neither pinch 
too hard nor yet hold it 
so slightly that it may 
be drawn off. Let there 
be a key, D, to it ; and, 
lastly, let the bow have 
several notches filed in 
it, so that the place of 
the partition, when the 
lock is shut, may not be 
suspected. You must get a person to hold a shilling between his teeth ; then 
take another, and, with your left hand, offer to set it edge-wise between a 




168 



LEGERDEMAIISr. 



secoiwl person's teeth, pretending that your intent is to turn both into whicl^ 
of tlieir mouths they please. This will afford you a fair opportunity of put- 
ting on your lock. 

THE RESTORED THREAD. 

Take two pieces of thread, one foot in length each ;, roll one of them round, 
like a small pea, which put between your left fore-finger and thumb. Now, 
hold the other out at length, between the fore-finger and thumb of each 
hand ; then let some one cut the same asunder in the middle ;, when that is. 
done, put the tops of your two thumbs together, so that you may, witli less 
suspicion, receive the ihread which you hold in your right hand into your 
left, without opening your left finger and thumb. Then, holding these two 
pieces as you did before, let them be cut asunder in the middle also, and 
conveyed again as before, until they be very short; then roll all the ends 
together, and keep that ball of tliread before the other in tlie left hand, and 
with a knife, thrust tlie same into a candle, where you may hold it until it 
be bui'nt to ashes ; pull back the knife witli your right hand, and leave the 
ashes, with the. other ball, between your fore-finger and thumb of your left 
hand, and with the two thumbs and fore-fingers together, rub the ashes, 
and at length, draw out that thread which has beers all this time between 
your foixi-finger and thmnb. 

THE LONG PUDDING. 

The following is a famous feat among those mountebanks who travel the 
couTitry with quack doctors. This pudding must be made of twelve or thir- 
teen little tin hoops,, so as to fall one through another, and little holes should 

be made at the 
biggest end, so that 
it may not hurt 
your mouth : hold 
it privately in your 
left hand, with the 
whole end upper- 
most, and, with your right hand, take a ball out of your pocket, and say, 
" if there be any old lady that is out of conceit with herself, because her 
neighbours deem her not so young as she would be thought, let her come to 
me, for this ball is a certain remedy; then seem to put the ball into your 
left hand, but let it slip into your lap, and clap your pudding into your mouth,, 
which will be thought to be the ball that you showed them ; then decline 
your head, open your mouth, and the pudding will slip down at its full length, 
with your rigiit hand, you may strike it into your mouth again r after having 
dane this three or four times, you may discharge it into your hand, and pul 




LEGERDEMAIN. 169 

it into your pocket without any suspicion, by making three or four wry faces 
after it, as though it had been loo large for your throat. 



THE EGG-BOX. 

The egg-box is made in the shape of two bee-hives, placed together, as 
A : the inner shell B, is covered with half the shell of a real egg ; the upper 
shell C, is of the same shape, but larger, being, in fact, the lid or upper part 
of the box, of which D is the lower. Place C, which is the outward 
shell, upon B, and both upon D, which cirrangement puts all in readiness 
for the performance of the trick. Now call for an egg, and bid all the 
bystanders look at it, to see that it is a real one. Then take off the 

upper part, B C, with your fore- 
finger and thumb, and placing the 
egg in the box, say, " Ladies and 
gentlemen, you see it fairly in the 
box ;" and, uncovering it again, say, 
'' You shall see me fairly take it 
out;" putting it into your pocket 
in their sight. Now open your 
box again, and say, *' There's 
nothing;" close your hand about 
the middle of the box, and taking C off without B, say, " There is the egg 
again ;" which will appear to the spectators to be the same that you put in 
your pocket ; then, put C on again, and taking C, together with the inner 
shell, B, off agaiii, say, " It is gone again ;" and such will appear to 
be the fact. 

THE OBEDIENT WATCH. 

Borrow a watch from any person in company, and request the whole to 
stand round you. Hold the watch up to the ear of the first in the circle, 
and command it to go ; then demand his testimony to the fact. Remove 
it to the ear of the next, and enjoin it to stop ; make the same request to that 
person, and so on throughout the entire party. 

Explanation, You must take care, in borrowing the watch, that it be 
a good one, and goes well. Conceal in your hand a piece of loadstone, 
which, so soon as you apply it to the watch, will occasion a suspension of 
the movements, which a subsequent shaking and withdrawing of the magnet 
will restore. For this purpose, keep the magnet in one hand, and shift the 
watch alternately from one hand to the other. 




170 LEGERDEMAIN. 

THE FLIGHT OF THE RING, 

You may cause a ring to shift from one hand to another, and make it go 
on any finger required on the other hand, while somebody liolds both your 
arms, in order to prevent communication between them, by attending to 
these instructions : — Desire some lady in company to lend you a gold ring, 
recommending her, at the same time, to make a mark on it, that she may 
know it again-. Have a gold ring of your own, which fasten by a small 
piece of catgut-string to a watch-barrel, and sew it to the left sleeve of your 
coat. Take the ring that is given you in your right hand; then putting, 
with dexterity, the other ring fastened to the watdi-barrel, near the entrance 
of your sleeve, draw it privately to the fingers' ends of your left hand. 
During this operation, hide the ring that has been lent to you between the 
fingers of your right hand, and fasten it dexterously on a little hook, sewed 
for the purpose, on your waistcoat, and hidden by your coat. After that, 
show your ring, which hold in your left hand ; then ask the company on 
which finger of the other hand they wish it to pass. During this interval, 
and as soon as the answer has been given, put the before-mentioned finger 
on the little hook, in order to slip the ring on it ; at that moment let go the 
other ring, by opening your fingers. The spring which is in the watch- 
barrel, being confined no longer, will contract, and make the ring slip under 
the sleeve, without anybody perceiving it, not even those who hold your 
arms ; as their attention will be occupied to prevent your hands from com- 
municating. After this operation, show the assembly that the ring is come 
on the other hand ; and make them remark that it is the same that had been 
lent to you, or that the mark is right. Much dexterity must be made use of 
to succeed in this entertaining trick, that the deception may not be suspected. 

THE DEMI-AMPUTATION. 

Provide yourself with two knives, a true and false one, (vide cut,) and 

when you show 

this feat, put the 

true knife into 

, your pocket, and, 

taking out the 

false one, place it 

on your wrist undiscovered ; tlien exliibit it, and you will appear to have 

nearly severed your arm. 

THE MUTILATED HANDKERCHIEF RESTORED. 

This feat, strange as it appears, is very simple ; the performer must have a 
confederate who has two handkerchiefs of the same quality, and with tlie 



LEGERDEMAIN. 171 

game mark, one of which he throws upon the table, to perform the feat with. 
The performer takes care to put this handkerchief uppermost in making a 
bundle, though he affects to mix them together promiscuously. The person, 
whom he desires to draw one of the handkerchiefs, naturally takes that 
which comes first to hand. The performer then desires to shake them 
again to embellish the opei'ation ; but in so doing, takes care to bring 
the right handkerchief uppermost, and carefully fixes upon some sim- 
pleton to draw ; and if he find the person is not likely to take the first 
tliat comes to hand, he prevents him from drawing by fixing upon another, 
under pretence of his having a more sagacious look. When the hand- 
kerchief is torn, and carefully folded up, it is put under a glass upon a 
table placed near a partition. On that part of the table on which the hand- 
kerchief is deposited, is a little trap, which opens and lets it fall into a 
drawer. The confederate, concealed behind the curtain, passes his hand 
under the table, opens the trap, and substitutes the second handkerchief 
for the first. He then shuts the trap, which so exactly fits the hole it 
closes, as to deceive the eyes of the most incredulous. If the performer 
be not possessed of such a table, he must have a second handkerchief in 
his pocket, and change it by slight of hand. 

THE DOUBLE FUNNEL. 

Get two funnels soldered one within 
the other, so as to appear like one ; pour 
a little wine into the smaller end of the 
outside funnel, turn it up, and keep the 
wine in by placing your thumb at the 
bottom of the funnel ; this must be done 
privately. Then pour some more wine 
into the broad part of the machine, 
drink it off completely ; turn the broad 
end of the funnel downward, to show 
that all is gone; and instantly turning 
yourself about, pronounce some mystic 
terms ; then withdraw your finger from 
the narrow end, so as to let the wine 
between the funnels run out. 

THE FIRE AND WINE BOTTLE. 

Get a tin bottle made with a tube nearly as big as its neck, passing from 
the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the bottle, in which there must be a 
hole of a size to correspond with it. Between the tube and the neck of tlie 




172 



LEGERDEMAIN. 



bottle, let there be sufficient space to allow you to pour in some wine which 
will remain in the bottle outside the tube. Begin the trick by pouring a 
glass of wine out of the bottle ; then place it on the table, over a concealed 
hole, through which the confederate will thrust a burning fusee into' the tube, 
so that, at your command, fire is emitted from the mouth of the bottle. As 
soon as the fire is extinguished, or withdrawn, you can lake up the bottle 
again, and pour out more wine. s 

THE GLOBE BOX. 

This trick is not inferior to the best that is shown with boxes. It is done 
with a box made of four pieces, and a ball as big as may conveniently be 

contained therein ; the ball serves, as 
the egg does in the egg-box, only to 
deceive the hand and eye of the spec- 
tators. This ball, made of wood, or 
ivory, is thrown out of the box upon 
the table, for every one to see that it 
is substantial; then put the ball into 
the box, which close up with all the 
pieces one within another ; remove the 
upper shell with your fore-finger and 
thumb, and there will appear another 
of a different color, red, blue, yellow, 
or any other color you may fancy; 
this will seem to be another ball, 
though, in fact, it is no more than a 
shell of wood, ingeniously turned, and 
fitted to the box, as you may perceive 
by the cuts in the margin. L is the 
outer shell of the globe, taken off" the 
figure M, the top of which represents 
the ball ; N, is an inner shell ; O, the 
cover of the same ; P, another inner 
shell ; Q, the cover of the same ; R, a 
third shell ; S, that which covers it. These globes may be made with more 
or less varieties, according to the desire of the practitioner. 




THE HATCHED BIRD. 



Separate an egg in the middle, as neatly as possible ; empty it, and then, 
with a fine piece of paper and a little glue, join the two halves together, 
having first put a live canary bird inside it, which will continue unhiut in 
it for sometime, provided you make a small pin-hole in the shell to supply 



LEGERDEMAIN. 173 

tlie bird with air : have, also, a whole egg in readiness. Present the two 
eggs for one to be chosen ; put tlie egg, which contains the bird, next to the 
person who is to choose, and, for this purpose, be sure to select a lady : she 
naturally chooses the nearest to her, because, having no idea of the trick to 
be performed, there is no apparent reason to take the further one : at any 
rate, if the wrong one be taken, you do not fail in the trick, for you break 
the egg, and say — " You see tliat this egg is fair and fresh, madam ; so you 
would liave found the other, if you had chosen it. Now, do you choose to 
find in it a mouse, or a canary-bird 1 " She naturally declares for the bird ; 
nevertheless, if she ask for the mouse, there are means to escape ; you ask 
the same question of several ladies, and gather the majority of votes, which, 
in all probability, will be in favor of the bird, which you then produce. 

THE PENETRATIVE SHILLING. 

Provide a round tin box, of the size of a large snuff-box, and likewise 
eight other boxes, which will go easily into each other, and let the least of 
them be of a size to hold a shilling. Each of these boxes should shut with 
a hing^, and to the least of them there must be a small lock, fastened with 
a spring, but which cannot be opened without a key ; and observe, that all 
these boxes must shut so freely, that they may all be closed at once. Place 
these boxes in each other, with their tops open, in your pocket : then ask a 
person for a shilling, and desire him to mark it, that it may not be changed : 
take this piece in one hand, and in the other have another of the same ap- 
pearance, and, putting your hand in your pocket, you slip the piece that is 
marked into the least box, and, shutting them all at once, you take them out : 
then, showing the piece you have in your hand, and which the company sup- 
pose to be the same that was marked, you pretend to make it pass through 
the box, but dexterously convey it away. You then present the box, for the 
epectators do not know yet that there are more than one, to any person in 
company, who, when he opens it, finds another, and another, till he come to 
the last, but that he cannot open without the key, which you then give him ; 
and, retiring to a distant part of the room, you tell him to take out the shilling 
himself and see if it be the one marked. This trick may be made more sur- 
prising by putting the key into the snuff-box of one of the company ; which 
you may do by asking for a pinch of snuff"; the key, being very small, will 
lie concealed among the snuff : when the person, who opens the boxes, asks 
for the key, tell him that one of his fiends has it in his snuff-box. 

THE MONEY BOX. 

A piece of money, or a ring, is put into a box, in the presence of a person 
who holds it ; the operator stands at a distance, and bids him shake the box % 
gently, and the piece is heard to rattle inside ; he is desired again to shake 



174 LEGERDEMAIN. 

it, and then it is not heard to rattle ; the third time, it is again heard, but 
the fourth time it is gone, and is found in the shoe of one of the company. 
The box must be made on purpose, in such a manner that, in shaking it 
gently up and down, the piece within is heard ; on the contrary, shalcing it 
hard, horizontally, a little spring, which falls on the piece, prevents it from 
heing heard, which makes you imagine it is not within. He who performs 
the trick, then touches the box, under- pretence of showing how to shake it, 
and, although it is locked, he easily gets out the piece by means of a secret 
opening, availing himself of that minute to put in a false piece, and to leave 
the box with the same person, Avhom he causes to believe that the piece is or 
is not within, according to the manner the box is shaken : at length, the 
oiiginal piece is found in the shoe of one of the compaey, either by means 
of the person being in confederacy, and having a similar piece, or by send- 
ing another to slip it on the floor : in this last case, it is found on the floor, 
and the person fixed on is persuaded that it fell from his shoe as he was 
taking it ofi". 

THE SALAMANDER. 

An experiment to ascertain the degree of heat it is possible for a man to 
bear, was made in the month of July, 1828, at the New Tivoli, at Paris, in 
the presence of a company of about two hundred persons, amongst whom 
were many professors, savans, and physiologists, who had been especially 
invited to attend, by the pliysician Robertson, director of that establishment 
The man on whom this experiment was made was a Spaniard of Andalusia, 
named Martenez, aged forty-three. A cylindrical oven, constructed in the 
shape of a dome, had been heated, for four hours, by a very powerful fire. 
At ten minutes past eight, the Spaniard, having on large pantaloons of red 
flannel, a thick cloak, also of flannel, and a large felt, after the fashion of a 
straw hat, went into the oven, where he remained, seated on a foot-stool, 
during fourteen minutes, exposed to a heat of from forty-five to fifty degrees 
of a metallic thermometer, the gradation of which did not go higher than 
fifty. He sang a Spanish song while a fowl was roasted by his side. At 
his coming out of the oven, the physicians found that his pulse beat one hun- 
' dred and thirty-four pulsations a minute, though it was but seventy-two at 
his going in. The oven being heated anew for a second experiment, ths 
Spaniard re-entered and seated himself ia the same attitude, at tlu'ee- 
quarters past eight, eat the fowl and drajok a bottle of wine to the healtliof 
the spectators. At coming out his pulse was a hundred and seventy-six, and 
indicated a heat of one hundred and ten degrees of Reaumur. Finally, for 
the third and last experiment, which almost immediately followed the second, 
he was stretched on a plank, suri'ounded with lighted candles, and thus put 
into the oven, the mouth of which was this time closed : he was tjiere nearly 
five minutes, v^hen all the spectators cried out " Enough, enough ! " and 



LEGERDEMAIN. 175 

Anxiously hastened to take him out. A noxious and suffocating vapor of 
tallow filled the inside of the oven, and all the candles were extinguished 
and melted. The Spaniard, whose pulse was two hundred at coming out 
of this gulf of heat, immediately threw himself into a cold bath, and, in two 
or three minutes after, was on his feet, safe and sound. 

About the year 1809, one Lionetto, also a Spaniard, astonished not only 
tlie ignorant, but chemists and other men of science, in France, Germany^ 
Italy, and England, by his insensibility to the power of fire. He handled, 
with impunity, red hot iron and molten lead, drank boiling oiJ, and per- 
formed other feats equally miraculous. While he was at Naples, he at- 
tracted the notice of Professor Sementeni, who narrowly watched all his 
operations, and endeavoured to discover his secret. He observed, in the 
first place, that when Lionetto applied a piece of red hot iron to his hair, 
dense fumes immediately rose from it ; that when he touched his foot with 
the iron, shnilar vapors ascended, which affected both the organs of sight 
and smelK He also saw him place a rod of iron, nearly red hot, between 
his teeth, without burning himself; drink the third of a table-spoonftd of 
boiling oil; and taking up molten lead with his fingers, pkce it on his 
tongue without apparent inconvenience. 

Anxious to discover the means used by Lionetto to render himself capal)le 
of thus enduring the application of heat, Sementeni performed several exper- 
iments upon himself, and made many important discoveries.. He found, that 
by friction with sulphuric acid diluted with water, the skin might be made 
insensible to the action of the heat of red-hot iron : a solution of aiiim, 
evaporated until it became spongy, appeared to be more effectual in these 
frictions. After having rubbed the parts, which were thus rendered, i n some 
degree, incombustible, with hard soap, he discovered, on the application of 
hot iron, that their insensibility was increased. He then determined or? 
again rubbing the parts with soap, and after this, found that the hot iron 
not only occasioned no pain, but that it actually did not burn the hair. 
Being thus far satisfied, the Professor applied hard soap to his tongue, until 
it became insensible to the heat of the iron ; and after having placed an 
oiritment, composed of soap mixed with a solution of alum, upon it, boiling 
oil did not burn it : while the oil remained on the tongue a slight hissing 
was heard, similar to that of hot iron when thrust into water; the oil soon 
cooled, and might then be swallowed without danger. • 

These are stated to be the results of the experiments performed by Pro- 
lessor Sementeni, and they tend to explain the astonishing performances of 
Lionetto. It is evident that he prepared his tongue and his skin in a similar 
manner, previously to his exhibitions. With regard to his passhig the hot 
plate of iron over his hair, it seems pretty evident that the latter was first 
saturated with a solution similar to that of the alum or sulphuric acid. Hi» 
•wallowing the boiling oil ceases to become a phenomenon, when it is ob- 



176 LEGERDEMAIN. 

served tlint, in or<ier to show its high temperature, he threw pieces of lead 
into it, which, in the process of melting, absorbed a quantity of the caloric^ 
or heat, of the oil ; and that the small quantity of the latter which he poured 
wpon his tongue, already prepared to receive it in the manner we have 
stated, cooled before he swallowed it. It is clear that he might put the 
molten lead upon his tongue with impunity, and suffer even less inconve- 
nience from Jt, if possible, than from the oil, by the greater heat of which it 
had been melted. It is, however, probable, that instead of lead, Lionetto 
used a more fusible mixture ; such, for instance, as that which will presently 
be found described under the title of " The Magic Spoon," 

Several scientific men have successfully repeated the experiments of Pro- 
fessor Sementeni ; and it is now no longer considered miraculous to behold 
a man applying hot iron to his skin without suffering from its powers. But 
we beg to caution our young readers very seriously against making any 
similar experiments upon themselves : they are only fit for men of science 
and profound chemical knowledge, and the least inaccuracy or omission 
would be productive of serious consequences. The foregoing account of the 
performances of the Fire-eaters and their secrets, we insert for the informa- 
tion of our young friends only, without holding them up as experiments cal- 
culated for their capacities or fit for their performance. If, in the course of 
tills work, we should think fit to relate the mode of constructing wings to fly 
from St. Paul's to the monument, or even across the Hellespont, it by no 
means follows that the boys of England, for whose instruction and amuse- 
ment we are, at this moment, " wasting the midnight oil," should make the 
attempt. The French author to whom we are indebted for the foregoing 
particulars, — Monsieur Julia Fontenelle, President de la Societe Linneenne 
et des Sciences Physiques et Chimiques de Paris ; Membre honoraire de 
ia Societe Royale de Varsovie ; de I'Academie Royale de Medecine, et de 
celle des Sciences de Barcelonne ; de la Societe Royale Academique de 
Sciences de Paris, et csetera — (we like to give a clever man his titles in 
full) — states that, when the Spaniard, Lionetto, undertook the experiments 
which we have above described, he was under apprehensions of having 
something to do with the Inquisition, in consequence of his exploits, 

TO MELT TWO METALLIC MIXTURES BY FRICTION. 

Melt in one vessel, one part of mercury and two parts of bismuth ; and in 
another, one pait of mercury and four of lead ; when cold, they will be quite 
solid : by rubbing them against each other, they will soon melt, as though 
each were rubbed separately against red hot iron. 

THE HANDKERCHIEF HEARTH. 

Cover the metal case of a watch with part of a handkerchief, single only 5 
bring the ends to that side where the glass is, and hold the handkerchief bt 



LEGERDEMAIN. 177 

them there, so as to stretch it tightly over the metaL You may then place a 
red hot coal, or piece of lighted paper, upon that part of the handkerchief 
which is so strained over the metal, without burning it; tlie caloric mere- 
ly passing through the handkerchief to fix in the metal. 

THE INCOMBUSTIBLE THREAD. 

Wind some linen thread tightly round a smooth pebble, secure die end, 
and if you expose it to the flame of a lamp or candle it will not burn. The 
caloric traverses, without fixing in it, and only attacks die stone which it 
encases. 

Asbestos, a species of stone thread, can be held in the flame of a lamp, 
without being woimd round a pebble, and will be equally incombustible. 

SIMPLE AMALGAMATION AND SEPARATION. 

Place a globule of mercnry, about the size of a peaj on a piece of paper, 
by the side of a globule of potassium, about half the size of the mercury ; 
fold up the paper so as to bring them into contact with each other; some 
caloric will be immediately disengaged, and the amalgamation will be com- 
plete in a few seconds. If it be then thrown into water, the mercury will 
be disengaged and fall to the bottom ; the potassium, on the contrary, will 
decompose the Avater, absorb the oxygen, and the hydrogen being set at 
liberty, will discharge itself with some noise. The potassium will be con- 
verted into deutoxide of potassium, or potass, and dissolve in the water. 

HIDEOUS METAMORPHOSIS. 

Take a few nut-galls, bruise them to a very fine powder, which strew 
nicely upon a towel ; then put a little brown copperas into a basin of water ; 
this Avill soon dissolve, and leave the water perfectly transparent. After any 
person has washed in this water, and wiped with the towel on which the 
galls have been strewed, his hands and face will immediately become black ; 
but, in a few days, by washing with soap, they will again become clean. 
This trick is too mischievous for performance. 

TO MAKE A WET STONE PRODUCE FIRE. 

Take quick-lime, salt-petre, tutia-Alexandrina and calamine^ (lapis 
calaminaris,) of each, equal parts ; live sulphur and camphor, of each, two 
parts : beat and sift tliem through a fine sieve ; then put the powder into a 
fine linen cloth, tie it close, put it into a crucible, cover it with another cru- 
cible, mouth to mouth ; bind and lute them well together ; then set them in 
the sun to dry. When dry, the powder will be yellow. Then put the cruci- 
ble into a potter's furnace, and when cold, take it out again, and you will 
find the powder altered into the substance of a stone. 

When you have occasion to light a fire or candle, wet part of the storic 
with a, little water, and it will instantly flame ; when lighted, blow it out 
again, as you would a candle. 

M 



178 LEGERDEMAIN. 

THE SUB-AQUEOUS VOLCANO. 

Take one ounce of saltpetre ; three ounces of powder ; of sulphurvivum, 
three ounces ; beat, sift, and mix them well together ; fill a pasteboard, or 
paper mould, with the composition, and it will burn under the water till 
quite spent. Few persons will believe that this can be done before they 
have seen it tried. 

THE CHEMICAL SAMSON. 

To melt a rod of iron with a common fire. Heat a rod of iron, as thick 
as your finger, in a fire, urged by a pair of bellows, until it is white hot ; 
draw it fi-om the fire, and apply to the hot part a roll of brimstone, held by 
a pair of tongs ; a profusion of most brilliant sparks will be thrown out, and 
the iron drop like melting sealing-wax. It is necessary to hold it over the 
hearth, to avoid mischief. If the heated part be a few inches from the 
aid of the bar, a piece of it will be cut off. 

THE MAGIC SPOON. 

Put four ounces of bismuth into a crucible, and when in a state of com- 
plete fusion, throw in two ounces and a half of lead, and one ounce and a 
half of tin ; these metals will combine, and form an alloy fusible in boiling 
water. Mould the alloy into bars, and take them to a silversmith to be made 
into tea-spoons. Place one of them in a saucer, at a tea-table, and the 
person who uses it will not be a little astonished to find it melt away as 
soon as he puts it into the hot tea. 

METAL MELTED ON PAPER OVER A CANDLE. 

An alloy, which may be kept in a state of fusion by placing it upon a 
piece of paper and holding it over a candle, may be made by melting to>- 
g^ether equal parts of bismuth, lead, and zinc. 

THE V^^ONDERFUL DYE. 

Dissolve indigo in diluted sulphuric acid, and add to it an equal quantity 
of solution of carbonate of potass. If a piece of white cloth be dipped in this 
mixture, it will be changed to blue ; yellow cloth, in the same mixture, may 
be changed to green ; red to purple ; and blue litmus paper be turned to rei 

METALLIC TRANSMUTATION. 

Dip a piece of polished iron, the blade of a knife, for instance, into a 
solution either of nitrate or sulphate of copper, and it will assume the apn 
pearance of a piece of pure copper ; this is occasioned by the sulphiu"ic acid 
seizing on the iron, and letting fall the copper. 



LEGERDEMAIN 179 

THE FADED ROSE RESTORED. 

Take arose that is quite faded, and throw some sulphur on a chafing-dish 
of hot coals, then hold the rose over the fumes of the sulphur, and it will be- 
come quite white ; in this state dip it into water, put it into a box or draw^ 
for three or four hours, and when taken out, it will be quite red again. 

THE PROTEAN LIC^UID. 

To make a red liquor, which, when poured into different glasses, will be- 
come yellow, blue, black, and violet. This phenomenon may be produced 
by the following process :— Infuse a few shavings of log-AVOod in common 
water, and when the liquor is red, pour it into a bottle; then take three 
drinking glasses ; rinse one of them with strong vinegar, throw into tlie 
second a small quantity of pounded alum, which will not be observed if the 
glass has been newly washed, and leave the third without any preparation. 
If the red liquor in the bottle be poured into the first glass, it will assume a 
^traw color, somewhat similar to that of Madeira wine; if into the second, 
it will pass gradually from bluish gray to black, provided it be stirred with 
a bit of iron, which has been privately immersed in good vinegar : in the 
third glass, the red liquor will Assume a violet tint. 

INCOMBUSTIBLE PAPER. 

Dip a sheet of paper in strong alum-water, and when dry, repeat the 
process ; or, it will be better still, if you dip and dry it a third time. After 
this, you may put it in the flame of a candle, and it will not burn. 

THE MIMIC CONFLAGRATION. 

Take half an ounce of sal-ammoniac, one ounce of camphor, and two 
ounces of aqua-vitae ; put them into an iron pot, narrowing towards the top, 
and set fire to it. The effect will be immediate ; a mimic conflagration will 
take place, which will be alarming, but not dangerous. 

PORTRAITS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE. 

These are performed with French chalk, a natural production of th« 
earth, (sold in most oil-shops,) of a greasy, but extraordinary nature. It is 
made use of to draw portraits upon looking-glasses ; which may be made 
visible and invisible, alternately, by breathing on and wiping off, and they 
will continue for many months fit for exhibition. The lines will appear 
very distinct where the glass is stroi^ly breathed on, and disappear en- 
tli-ely ^hen it is wiped dry again. 

PERPETUAL MOTION. 

Put very small filings of iron into aqua-fortis, and let them remain until 
Sjte aqua-fortis is completely saturated with the iron, which will happen in 
M 2 



180 LEGERDEMAIN. 

£A)out two hours ; pour off the solution, and put it into a phial an inch wide, 
with a large mouth, with a lump of lapis calaminaris ; then stop it close, and 
the calamine stone will keep in perpetual motion. 

THE DANCING EGG. 

Boil an egg hard, and peel off a small piece of the shell at one end ; then 
thrust in a quill filled with quicksilver, and sealed at each end. As long as 
the egg remains warm, it will not cease to dance about. 

THE EGG IN THE PHIAL. 

You may make an egg enter a phial without breaking, by stepping it in 
strong vinegar, for some time ; the vinegar will so soften the shell, that it 
will bend and extend lengthways without breaking ; when put in cold water, 
it will resume its former figure and hardness. 

THE BLUE BOTTLE. 

Expose an ounce of volatile alkali to the air, in a glass, for about a quarter 
of an hoiur; then put it into a flask, with twenty-four grains of the sulphate 
of copper, and the liquid will, by degrees, assume a beautiful blue color | 
pour it carefully into another flask, so as to separate the liquid from tlie cop- 
per. If you examine it a few days afterward, you will find that tlie blue 
color has totally disappeared ; but, if you take out the cork for a minute, 
and replace it, you may see the blue re-appear on the surface of the liquid, 
and descend gradually, until the whole of it is of the same hue as it was when 
you laid it aside. In a few days, it will again become colorless, and you 
can restore the blue by the same simple means. The experiment may be 
performed a great number of times with the same liquid. Care must be 
taken in making your preparation, that the volatile alkali be not suffered to 
remain long enough in the first flask, to dissolve too much of the sulphate of 
copper ; for, if it receive too great a degree of color, the blue will not dis- 
appear, when the liquid is deprived of air. 

THE CANDLE OF ICE, 

Cover a small portion of the upper end of a tallow candle with paper, and 
give the remainder of it a coat of fine coal and powdered sulphur, mixed 
together ; dip it in water,^nd expose it to the air during a hard firost, and a 
slight coat of ice will form round it, which may be, subsequently, rendered 
thicker, in proportion to the number of immersions and exposures to the air 
which it receives. When it arrives at a sufficient consistency, take off the 
paper, light the upper end of the candle, and it will burn freely. 



LEGERDEMAIN. 181 

TO DIP THE HAND IN WATER WITHOUT WETTING IT. 

PoM'der the surface of a bowl of water with lycopodium ; you may then 
put your hand into it, and take out a piece of money, that had been previous- 
ly placed at the bottom of the bowl, without wetting your skin j the lycopo- 
dium so attaching itself to the latter, as to keep it entirely from coming in 
direct contact with the water. After performing the experiment, a slight 
shake of the hand will rid it of the powder. 

TO REMOVE AND AFTERWARDS RESTORE THE COLOR OF A RIBBOM. 

Dip a rose-colored ribbon into nitric acid, diluted with eight or ten parts 
of water, and as soon as the color disappears, which it will do in a short 
time, take out the ribbon, and put it into a very weak alkaline solution ; th« 
alkali will quickly neutralize the acid, and the color will then re-appear. 

THE PAPER ORACLE. 

Some amusement may be obtained among young people, by writing, with 
common ink, a variety of questions, on different bits of paper, and adding a 
pertinent reply to each, written with nitro-muriate of gold. The collection 
is suffered to dry, and put aside until an opportunity offers for using them. 
Wlieu produced, the answers will be invisible ; you desire different persons 
to select such questions as they may fancy, and take them home with them 5 
you then promise, that if tiiey are placed near the fire, during the night, 
ans^vers will appear written beneath the questions in the morning ; and such 
will be the fact, if the papers be put in any dry, warm situation. 

THE sibyl's CAVE. 

Write several questions and answers, as directed in the preceding article : 
for the answers, instead of nitro-muriate of gold, you may use the juice of a 
citron, or an onion. Let any of the questions be chosen by a party, and 
placed in a box, which may be called " The Sibyl's Cave." This box 
must be furnished with a piece of hot iron, beneath a false bottom of tin; 
when the paper is put in it, tlie heat will cause tlie answer to appear ; you 
tlien take it out, show it to the person who made choice of the question, 
9,nd, as soon as it is read, put it aside; the answer will vanish, when the 
paper becomes cold again. 

TO SEPARATE OIL FROM WATER, 

Most of our young readers are, doubtless, aware, that oil is lighter than 
water, and floats upon its surface. If a vessel of any convenient description, 
be half filled with water, and a portion of oil be then poured on it, the oil may 
he easily separated from the water, by one end of a wick of cotton being 



182 LEGERDEMAIN. 

placed in it, the other end of which is carried into another vessel : the oil, 
obedient to the laws of capillarity, will rise gradually into the cotton, and 
fall, drop by drop, from the other extremity of it, into the vase or cup, which 
is placed to receive it. We are told, that the process is much quicker, if 
the cotton be previously dipped in oil. 

TO MAKE A COLORLESS LIQUID BECOME BLUE, LILAC, PEACH- 
COLORED, AND RED VPITHOUT TOUCHING IT. 

Put a drachm of powdered nitrate of cobalt into a phial, containing an 
ounce of the solution of caustic potass : a decomposition of the salt, and pre- 
cipitation of a blue oxide of cobalt, takes place. Cork the phial, and the 
liquid will now assume a blue color, from which it will pass to a lilac, after- 
ward to a peach tint, and, finally, to a light red. 

THE FOUR ELEMENTS. 

Procure a glass tube, about the thickness of a man's finger, and securely 
seal one end of it. Mark it, all round, with lour equal divisions. Introduce 
mercury, sufficient to fill the space below the first mark ; a solution of sub- 
carbonate of potass for the second division ; white brandy, to which a blue 
tint is imparted, for the third ; and turpentine, colored red, for the fourth. 
After these preparations are completed, close up and seal the mouth of the 
tube, and you may then give a fanciful exhibition of chaos and the four ele- 
ments. Shake the tube, and you will mix all the contents together, and this 
mixture will represent chaos; in a short time, if the tube be not removed, 
all the ingredients will separate, and each go to its allotted division, plac- 
ing itself according to its specific gravity, in comparison with the others 
the contents of the upper division, which is red, will represent fire; the 
next, which has a blue tint, air ; the third, which is coiorless, water ; and 
the lower one, earth. 

THE MINERAL CHAMELEON. 

We are indebted to Sheele for a composition, known by tlie above title, 
which is prepared by mixing together, and exposing to a strong heat, in an 
open crucible, for little mo>e than a quarter of an hour, three parts of nitrate 
tf potass, and one of deutoxide of manganese, both in a finely powdered 
state. The compound thus obtained, possesses the following singular pro- 
perties : — If a few grains of this preparation be put into a glass, and cold 
water be then poured on it, the liquor will first turn green, and then pass 
rapidly to purple, and finally, by beautiful gradations, to red. If hot water 
be used, instead of cold, the liquid will assume a beautiful violet color. 
The colors will be more or less intense, in proportion to the quantity of tlie 
oxide used, for a more or less quantity of water ; ten grains, in a very little 



LEGERDEMAIN. 183 

water, will produce a beautiful green color, which will pass with rapidity 
to a dark purple, and, subsequently, to red. If a small portion of the Cha 
meleon Mineral be used for four ounces of water, the color will be a deep 
green ; by the addition of more water, it will turn rosy, and become color- 
less in a few hours, giving in the process a yellowish precipitate. When 
the liquid changes slowly, it is easy to discover other hues, which it takes 
in the following order — green, blue, violet, indigo, jDurple and red. 

It appears that the phenomena produced by the Chameleon Mineral, have 
attracted the attention of several men of science, and it seems, from the result 
of their experiments, that in those preparations of the Chameleon Mineral, in 
whicli there is a greater proportion of potass than manganese, the g een re- 
quires more time to change into the other colors, and the greater the pro- 
portion of manganese, the more intense is the first color, and the quicker 
does the liquid acquire the other tints. The effect of hot water in this ex- 
periment, is much more powerful than that of cold. ^ 

PHOSPHORIC FISH, METEORS, &C, 

Phosphorus was discovered by the alchymist Brandt, who sold the secret 
to Krafft, with whom Kunkel associated himself for its purchase. He wag, 
however, deceived by Krafft, who never communicated the secret to him. 
Kunkel immediately commenced a series of experiments, and in 1674, dis- 
covered the mode of making it. 

Phosphorus, in a state of purity, is solid, demi-transparent, and of a corv- 
sistence similar to wax; the solar light gives it a red color; it will unite 
with almost all metallic substances. When it is taken in the hand, it should 
never be held for more than a few seconds, for the heat thus applied, is suffix 
cient to inflame it, if continued ; awd a burn from phosphorus is more painful 
than any other kind of burn. A basin of cold water ought always to be at 
hand, to dip the pliosphorus m occasionally ; and when it is cut to pieces, it 
must be cut in water. Phosphorus can only be preserved by keeping it in 
places where neither light nor heat has access. It is obtained from druggists 
in roils, about the thickness of a quill ; these are put into a phial filled with 
cold water ; which has been boiled to expel air from it, and the phial is en- 
closed in an opaque case. It does not exist in nature in a state of purity, 
but as a salt ; it is extracted from bones. 

Tlie light produced in the night time, by writing wuth a stick of phos- 

Ehorus on a wall, owes its existence to a slight coat which the stick leaves 
ehind it on the parts over which it has passed ; this, being combustible, 
burns slowly, in absorbing the oxygen of the air. 

It has been well-known, from time almost immemorial, that animal or 
vegetable substances, in a state of putrefaction, often become luminous 
The glow-worm has, doubtless, been seen by many of our readers, beai'ing 
its brilliant midnight lamp ; several insects, and some fishes also, possess a 



184 LEGERDEMAIN. 

luminous property. In 1642, an old woman presented tlie Prince of Conde 
with some meat, bought by her the preceding day in the market of Mont- 
pelier, and which illuminated her room during the night. We have seen a 
sole emit most brilliant and beautiful flasiies of light on a dark night. 

A great number of experiments have been performed by scientific men, to 
ascertain the cause of the luminous aspect of the sea ; it is attributed to those 
putrid substances, which are found in the w^aters. The following experi- 
ment, which has reference to this subject, is rather curious : — A little fresh 
whiting was placed in a vase containing water. It produced no light, even 
after having been agitated ; that part of the fish only that was above the 
water, and not the water itself, grew luminous during the night. On lifting 
up the fish, by means of a stick, which was passed beneath it, and rested 
against the opposite side of the vase, the water appeared luminous behind 
it ; on being much agitated, it became entirely luminous, and continued so 
for some time after it was left undisturbed. The strongest emission of light 
takes place after the fish has been about twenty hours in the water ; after 
three days, the water loses this property. About four drachms of tlie sub- 
stance of a fresh herring were put into a solution of two drachms of sulphate 
of magnesia, in two ounces of water. On the succeeding evening, the whole 
of the liquor, upon shaking the phial, became beautifully luminous, and it 
continued luminous till the fourth day. 

There is a fish mentioned by Pliny, the naturalist, which renders such ob- 
jects luminous as are touched by it. It differs from its fellow tenants of the 
waters, which become phosphorescent only when in a state of putrefaction ; 
whereas, the fresher the pholas is, the more luminous does it appear. Bran- 
dy extinguishes its light ; when it becomes dry, a little pure or salt water 
will revivify its lustre. When putrid, it loses its brilliancy, which it does 
not recover until putrefaction has gone its full length, when, by agitating it 
in water, the latter becomes luminous. Solutions of hydrochlorate of soda 
and nitrate of potass, augment the brilliancy of the water; acids and wine 
extinguish it. The water may be rendered still brighter by pouring it on 
recently calcined sulphate of lime, on quartz, sugar, &c. 

The phosphoric meteors, commonly called Will-o'-wisps, which are seen 
in marshes, near rivers, in churchyards, and in low and humid places, in 
different forms, are to be attributed to the combustion of some hydrogen gas, 
principally phosphoric hydrogen gas, which, as is well known, has the pro- 
perty of inflaming itself on coming into contact with oxygen gas or air. 
These meteors are more frequently seen in winter than in summer ; in rainy 
weather their light is more intense than when it is dry. 

PHOSPHORIC WOOD. 

Rotten wood often becomes luminous; many circumstances induce us to 
ascribe its light to slow combustion ; a fact in favor of this idea is, that if 



LEGERDEMAIN. 185 

pliosphorescent wood be placed in a pneumatic machine, and the air be 
pumped out of it, the light disappears, and if the air be restored, the wood 
again becomes luminous. The same experiments performed with a fish that 
emitted light, produced the same results. The light of fish differs from that 
of rotten wood in this respect, — namely, that water, alcohol, and several 
saline solutions, destroy the light of the latter ; while water does not dimin- 
ish the brilliancy of the former, no more than it does that of the glow-worm. 
If luminous wood be introduced to a tube of glass, and plunged into a freez- 
ing mixture, the light will be extinguished. 

Rods of wood may be rendered phosphorescent, by steeping them in a so- 
lution of chlorate of lime, and then burning one of their ends in the flame 
of a lamp or candle ; after the combustion has taken place, if the stick be 
withdrawn, a little white matter will be found at the extremity, which will 
shed a brilliant light. Tlie harder kinds of wood are most proper for this 
experiment. The white remains of the combustion, it is said, are pure 
lime ; and that a similar luminous property might be given to the wood, by 
plunging it into lime-water, or a solution of sulphate of magnesia. 

PHOSPHORIC PLANTS. 

Persons working in mines sometimes meet with phosphorescent plants ; 
tlie light is perceptible at the points of the plants, especially when they are 
broken. This phosphorescence disappears in an atmosphere igii, hydrogen 
gas, of chlora, or oxide of carbon. ^• 

The daughter of the celebrated Linnseus discovered that the tropeolum 
majus is sometimes phosphorescent in the evening. 

PHOSPHORIC OYSTER SHELLS. 

Place some veiy thick oyster shells upon, and cover them with, some 
burning coals ; in half an hour take them carefully out of the fire, and it will 
be only necessary to expose them to the light for a few minutes to be con- 
vinced that they have become phosphorescent. In fact, if put in a dark 
place, tliey shed a light accompanied by the greater part of the prismatic 
colors. If the calcination be made in a closed crucible, the colors will 
be less brilliant. If the crucible be of lead, the parts that have come into 
contact with it will yield a reddish light ; if a few bits of steel be strewed 
about the crucible, the phosphorescence will be more lively ; but if some 
flat pieces of coal be used instead of steel, the colors will be more beautiful, 
particularly the blue, red, and green. It seems that scientific men either do 
not know positively, or are not agreed as to the cause of the phosphorescence 
of certain bodies ; according to some, it is owing to an accumulation of solar 
light ; while others say tliat it ought to be attributed to a light inherent in 
the phosphoric substance. 



186 LEGERDEMAIN. 

TO RENDER MILK LUMINOUS. 

MiJk may be rendered luminous by immersing a pholas in it. One of 
tliese fishes is sufficient to communicate b'ght to seven ounces of milk, which, 
as it becomes luminous, appears also to be turned transparent. Beccaria 
felt convinced that air was necessary for the production of this light ; for, 
having filled a tube with milk made luminous in the foregoing manner, he 
could only disengage the light from it by suffering the admission of air to 
the tube. Tite juice of this fish, reduced into a paste with meal, throws out 
considerable light when plunged into hot water. If preserved in honey, the 
fish will retain its luminous property for more than a year ; and, in fact, by 
plunging it into hot water, it will shed as much light as if it were quite fresh 

IGNITION BY COMPRESSION. 

By compressing a bit of phosphorus between two pieces of wood, it will 
inflame. The same effect may be produced by the friction of one piece of 
phosphorus against another. 

THE MASK OF FLAME. 

Take six parts of oil of olives and one of phosphorus, suffer them to digest 
well together, and preserve the solution, which, in the dark, will become 
luminous. An experiment that is considered amusing may be performed 
by closing the eyes and lightly passing a sponge, dipped in this solution, 
OTer the face and hands, which will then, in the dark, appear covered with 
a light bluish flame. This trick, we are told, is not at all dangerous. 

THE MINIATURE RIV^ER ON FIRE. 

Let fall a few drops of phosphorized ether on a lump of loaf sugar, place 
the sugar in a glass of warm water, and a very beautiful appearance will be 
instantly exhibited ; the effect will be increased, if the surface of the water, 
by blowing gently with the breath, be made to undulate. 

PHOSPHORESCENT SPAR. 

Coarsely powder some fluor spar, and sprinkle it, in a dark room, on a 
fire-shovel made hot, (but not to redness.) and it will emit a beautiful phos- 
phorescent light for some time. 

IGNITION BY PERCUSSION. 

Put into the middle of some dry cotton, a piece of phosphorus the size of 
a large pin's head, previously dried on blotting paper; strike it witli a 
hammer and it will inflame. 



LEGERDEMAIN. 187 

THE PHOSPHORIC STEAM BATH. 

Lay a small piece of phosphorus upon a bit of glass, place the glass upon 
the surface of hot water in a basin, and tlie phosphorus will inflame. 

TO BURN BROWN PAPER BY PHOSPHORUS AND FRICTION. 

Wrap a grain of phosphorus, dried on blotting paper, in a piece of brown 
paper, rub it with some hard body, and it will set fire to the paper. 

THE ILLUMINATOR AND EXTINGUISHER. 

Make two little figures of wood or clay, or any other materials you please, 
with a little hole in the mouth of each. Put in the mouth of one, a few 
grains of bruised gunpowder, and a little bit of phosphorus in the other. 
Then take a lighted wax candle, and pi'esent it to the mouth of the figure 
with the gunpowder, which, taking fire, will put the candle out; then pre- 
sent your candle, having the snuff quite hot, to the other figure, and it will 
light again immediately. 

TO LIGHT A CANDLE BY A GLASS OF WATER. 

Take a little piece of phosphorus, of the size of a pin's head, and with a 
piece of tallow, stick it on the edge of a drinking-glass. Then take a 
lighted candle, and having blown it out, apply it to the glass, when it will 
immediately be lighted. You may likewise write, with a bit of phosphorus, 
on paper, some words, which will appear awful, when the candle is witli«- 
drawn from the room. 



AUTOMATA. 

Our object being to acquaint our young readers with the mode of per- 
forming many pieces of astonishing deception, as well as to instruct them how 
to do several pleasant tricks of a more simple nature, the most celebrated 
Automata occur to us as being subjects which ought to occupy a conspicuous 
station in our Feats of Legerdemain. 

THE CHESS PLAYER. 

The construction of machines capable of imitating the mechanical action 
of the human body shows exquisite skill. This, however, has been done ; 
M. De Kempelen, a gentleman of Presburg, in Hungary, constructed an 
Androides capable of playing at chess. Every one, who is in the least 
acquainted with this game, must know that it is so far from being mechani- 
cally performed, as to require a greater exertion of the judgment and rational 



188 LEGERDEMAIN. 

faculties than Is'sufficient to accomplish matters of greater importance. That 
such a machine really was made, the public had ocular demonstration. The 
inventor came over to Britain in 1785, and exhibited his automaton to public 
inspection for more than a year. On his death, it was purchased by 
M. Maelzel, who paid this country a visit in 1827, when the invention 
created as much wonder as ever, notwithstanding the vast progress made in 
mechanical science. 

The room where it was exliibited had an inner apartment, within which 
appeared the figure of a Turk, as large as life, dressed after the Turkish 
fashion, sitting behind a chest of three feet and a half in length, two feet in 
breadth, and two feet and a half in height, to which it was attached by the 
wooden seat on which it sat. The chest was placed upon four castors, which, 
together with the figure, might be moved to any part of the room. 

On the plain surface formed by the top of liie chest, in the centre, was 
raised an immovable chess-board, of handsome dimensions, upon which the 
figure had its eyes fixed, its right arm and hand being extended on the chest, 
and its left arm somewhat raised, as if in the attitude of holding a Turkish 
pipe, which was originally placed in its right hand. 

The exhibitor proceeded by wheeling the chest to the entrance of the 
apartment within which it stood, in front of the spectators. He then opened 
certain doors contrived in the chest, two in the front and two in the back, at 
the same time pulling out a long shallow drawer, made to contain the Chess- 
men, a cushion for the arm of the figure to rest upon, and some counters ; 
two lesser drawers and a green cloth screen, contrived in the body of the 
figure and its lower parts, were likewise opened, and the Turkish robe which 
covered them was raised ; so that the construction, both of the figure and 
chest, intentionally was displayed, and the exhibitor introduced a lighted 
candle into the body of the cJiest and figure, by which the interior of each 
was, in a great measure, rendered transparent. 

The chest was divided by a partition into two equal chambers ; that to 
the right of the figure was the narrowest, and occupied scarcely one third 
of the body of the chest ; it was filled with little wheels, levers, cylinders, 
and other machinery used in clock-work : that to the left contained two 
wheels, some small barrels with springs, and two quarters of a circle, placed 
horizontally. The body and lower parts of the figure contained certain 
tubes, which appeared to be conductors to the machinery. After a sufficient 
time, during which each spectator satisfied his scruples and curiosity, the ex- 
hibitor closed the doors, made some arrangement in the body of the figure, 
wound up the works with a key inserted into a small opening in the body of 
the chest, and placed the cushion under the left arm of the figure, which then 
rested upon it. 

In playing a game, the automaton made choice of the white men; it like- 
wise gave the first move. It played with the left hand instead of the right,-^ 



LEGERDEMAIN. 189 

the right hand being constantly fixed on the chest. This slight incongruity 
proceeded from inadvertence of the inventor, who did not discover his mis- 
take until the machinery was too far completed to remedy the defect. At 
the commencement of a game, the automaton made a motion of the head, as 
if taking a view of the board ; the same motion occurred at the close of the 
game. In making a move it slowly raised its left arm from the cushion 
placed under it, and directed it toward the square of the piece to be moved. 
The arm then returned to its position on the cushion. Its hand and fingers 
opened on touching the piece, which it took up and conveyed to any pro- 
posed square. The motions were performed with perfect correctness, and 
the anxiety with which the arm acted, especially in the delicate operation 
of castling, seemed to be the result of spontaneous feeling ; bending at the 
shoulder, elbow, and knuckles, and cautiously avoiding to touch any other 
piece than that which had been moved. 

On giving check to the king, it moved its head as a signal. When a false 
move was made by its antagonist, which frequently occurred through curi- 
osity to observe in what manner the automaton would act, — as for instance, 
if a knight had been moved like a castle, — the automaton smote impa- 
tiently on the chest with its right hand, replaced the knight in its former 
square, and would not permit its antagonist to recover his move, but pro- 
ceeded immediately to move one of its own pieces, thus appearing to pun- 
ish him for his inattention. 

It was considered of importance that the person matched against the 
automaton should be attentive in moving a piece exactly in the centre of a 
square ; otherwise, the figiu"e, in attempting to lay hold of the piece, might 
even sustain some injury in the delicate mechanism of the fingers. If its 
antagonist hesitated for a considerable time to move a piece, it tapped 
smartly on the chest with its right hand, as if testifying impatience at the 
delay. 

During the time the automaton was in motion, a low sound of clock work 
was heard, as if running down, which ceased soon after the arm was reclin- 
ed on the cushion. The works were wound up at intervals of ten or twelve 
moves by the exhibitor, who was usually employed pacing up and down the 
room ; approaching the chest, however, from time to time, on its right side. 
It was understood that the automaton could not play, unless M. De Kempe- 
ien, or his substitute, was near to direct its moves ; but it is very certain 
that the whole mystery lay in the chest, and that there could be no connex- 
ion with the floor, as the inventor advertised his willingness to exhibit at 
private houses. 

To avoid the obstructions frequently occasioned by the inattention of 
Btrange antagonists, in moving the pieces required exactly to tlie centre of 
«(iuares, a new arrangement was subsequently made, by which the adversai-y 
did not play at the same board with the automaton, but had a chess-board to 



190 LEGERDEMAIN. 

himself, on which he copied the automaton's moves, and made his own 5 
while a person who attended at the automaton's board, copied, with due 
precision, for the automaton, the adversary's moves. 

In concluding our account of this extraordinary machine, we must ob- 
serve that it has been asserted, without contradiction, that, although it beat 
numerous skilful chess players, in different countries, its moves were directed 
by a boy concealed within the machinery ; so that, in fact, whoever the boy 
could beat at the game, was s?jre to be conquered by the automaton. This 
will show that it is in the power of youth to attain such a mastery over chess, 
as to render them capable of competing with capital players of a mature age- 

THE FI,UTE PLAYER, 

The celebrated Vauconson invented an Automaton Flute-player, of which 
tliere is a minute description in the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of 
Sciences at Paris, by which it appears that the figure was about five feet 
and a half high, and was placed upon a square pedestal, which concealed a 
portion of the machinery. The air entered the body by three separate 
pipes, into which it was conveyed by nine pairs of bellows, which expanded 
and contracted in regular succession, by means of a steel axis turned by 
clock-work. These bellows performed their functions without any noise, 
which might have discovered the means of conveying the air into the ma- 
chine. The three tubes that received the air from the bellows passed into 
three small reservoirs in the trunk of the figure, where they united, and 
ascending towards the throat, formed the cavity of the mouth, which tei?- 
minated in two small lips. Within this cavity was a small movable tongue, 
which, by its motion, at proper intervals, admitted the air or intercepted it 
in its passage to the flute. The fingers, lips, and tongue, derived their 
appropriate movements from a steel cylinder, also turned by clock-worl^ 
It was divided into fifteen equal parts, which, by means of pegs pressing 
upon the ends of fifteen different levers, caused the other extremities to 
ascend. Seven of these levers directed the fingers, having wires and chains 
fixed to their ascending extremities, which being attached to the fingers, 
caused them to ascend in proportion as the other extremity was pressed down 
by the motion of the cylinder, and vice versa ; thus the ascent or descent of 
one end of a lever produced a similar ascent or descent in the corresponding 
fingers, by which one of the holes of the flute was occasionally opened or 
stopped, as it might have been by a living performer. Three of the levers 
served to regulate the ingress of the air, being so contrived as to open and 
shut the three reservoirs above mentioned, by means of valves, so that more 
or less strength might be given, and a higher or lower note produced. The 
iips were directed by four levers, one of which opened them to give the air a 
freer passage ; the other contracted them ; the third drew tiiem backward ; 



LEGERDEMAIN. 191 

and the fourth pushed them forward : the lips were projected upon that part 
of the flute which received the air, and by the different motions already 
mentioned, properly modified the tune. The remaining lever was employed 
in the direction of the tongue, which it easily moved, so as to open or shut 
the mouth of the flute. The just succession of the several motions performed 
by the various parts of the machine, was regulated by the following simple 
contrivance : — the extremity of the axis of the cylinder terminated, on tlie. 
right side, by an endless screw, consisting of twelve threads, each placed at 
the distance of an eighth of an inch from the other. Above the screw was 
fixed a piece of copper, and in it a steel pivot, which falling in between the 
threads of the screw, obliged the cylinder to follow those threads ; and thus, 
instead of turning directly round, it was continually pushed on one side. 
Hence, if a lever were moved by a peg placed on the cylinder, in any one 
revolution, it could not be moved by the same peg in the succeeding revolu- 
tion because the peg would be an eighth of an inch beyond it, by the lateral 
motion of the cylinder. Thus, by an artificial disposition of these pegs in 
different parts of the cylinder, the statue was made, by the successive 
elevation of the proper levers, to exhibit all the different motions of a 
flute-player. 

THE INVISIBLE GIRL. 

The operators have a communication, from the exhibition room to 
another where the confederate is concealed, by tin pipes, which end in a 
clear horn trumpet, inserted in an isolated glass chest or barrel, attached 
to the ceiling by colored ribbons, twined round a small gilt chain. In the 
inside of these pipes, at right angles, are placed small mirrors, which reflect 
and contract every object in the exhibition room, so that the confederate, 
who answers the questions put, can not only hear all that is said, but see 
even the objects that are held in the hands of the visiters, such as watches, 
money, miniatures, letters in a book, and every other thing that is un- 
covered. The following curious dialogue took place between a traveller 
from this country, and the Invisible Girl, at Siccard's Diversion Room, in 
Paris: — " What age are you 1 Fourteen years of age. Where were you 
born 1 At Marseilles. What is your name 1 Francoise. Are you pretty 1 
No. Are you good 1 Yes, though sometimes ill-natured. What is your 
position 1 I am reclining. Do not all the questions that are put to you 
disgust you 1 Never ; but I am sometimes very much vexed. How is it 
that you see everything that is presented to you ; that you hear everything 
that is said to you ; and that no person can discover you 1 That is a secret 
of those to whom I belong," &c. It is a matter of much complication, and 
cannot be performed without a good confederate and considerable scientific 
knowledge. We trust, however, we have said sufficient to render th« 
Invisible Girl no wonder. 



192 LEGERDEMAIIS". 



THE MAHOMETAN MAGICIAN. 

The following description of the mechanical conjuring figure, so calleri^ 
as well as that of " The wise little Turk," will, doubtless, remind oui 
readers of the Automaton Chess-player. 

The Mahometan Magician is a figure of sixteen or eighteen inches high 
and holds a little hammer in its hand. When exhibited, it is first taken ofl 
the table on which it stands, and shown to the company, to convince them 
that it is perfectly detached, and stands by itself: the exliibitor then having 
replaced it on the table, asks if he will compliment his master 1 The little 
Turk, by turning his head, expresses '•' No," He then asks if he will paj 
his respects to the company 1 He bows his head to express " Yes." A 
pack of cards is then presented to the spectators, who draw out one b) 
chance ; without seeing the card, or approaching the automaton, his mastei 
orders him to strike the number of strokes, necessary to describe the card, 
with his hammer, on a bell : — the little Turk instantly obeys. He is then 
asked if the card drawn be a heart, a diamond, club, or spade 1 And, as 
the suits are mentioned, he moves his head, to give approbation or disap' 
probation, and an answer conformably to truth. He then tells the number 
thrown on dice ; and also, before-hand, the number which a second throw 
will produce. One of the company having hid a little figure in a box, 
divided into several compartments, he tells in which of them, and at what 
number, the little figure is to be found; and, to give a humorous termina- 
tion to this trick, when he is asked which of the company is the most 
amoroiLs he points out some old gentleman with spectacles. 

The table on which the little Turk is placed, is covered with a green 
cloth, concealing three levers, which are put in motion by the aid of three 
brass wires, passing through the feet of the table, and conducted behind 
the partition : the person wlio is hid, and acts as the confederate, draws 
these brass wires as he has occasion to act on the cranks concealed in the 
pedestal of the automaton, which cranks terminate in the base. By these 
means, the different motions are communicated to the machine the moment 
they are required, in the same manner as a repeating watch is made to 
strike by pushing the button of the case. The performer then holds in his 
hand a pack of cards, arranged in such a manner that he understands their 
sequence ; that the spectators may not suspect this arrangement of the cards, 
he apparently mixes them, but, in reality, he only cuts them, which does 
not change the combination of the game ; when he has had a card drawn, 
he cuts them tlie last time in the place where the card has been chosen, by 
which means, he passes to the bottom the card which was immediately oveif 
the one drawn : then, looking adroitly at the bottom, he knows, without 
seeing, the card which the spectator had drawn by chance. He then in- 
ferrogates the little Turk by a question, which is so composed, that either 



LEGERDEMAIN. 193 

the words, syllables?, or vowels, comimmicate to the confederate the color 
and denomination of the card. By a similar stratagem, knowledge is con- 
veyed to the confederate of the first number thrown on dice; tlie automa- 
ton can then very easily tell what number will come up on the second throw 
of the dice, because fresh dice are introduced, and such are substituted as 
have the same numbers on all their faces. As the person, to whom the dice 
are given, might, by looking at them, perceive the imposition, to escape 
detection, peculiar care is taken not only to recommend to him to hold the 
dice carefully hidden in his hand until he throws them, but also to prevent 
them being too long exposed to the sight; loaded dice might also be em- 
ployed, which are so contrived, that the centre of gravity operates invariably. 
As the person who has already thrown the dice may wish to throw again, 
either accidentally or through suspicion, and! as the return of the same points 
might occasion the honesty of the dice to be suspected, all these incon- 
veniences are removed by getting rid of them as soon as possible. 

The box where the little figure has been concealed has a bottom of soft 
5eather, by which means, in handling beneath the compartment where the 
little figure is, may be discovered by the hand of the operator ; and the 
figure is constructed of such dimensions as to press on the bottom of the box 
when it is shut. 

THE CANARY. 

A Canary bird is shown, perched on a bottle, which sings any air re- 
quired. He also sings equally well when changed to different bottles, and 
on different tables : the breath from his bill blows out a candle, and lights it 
afterward. The machinery and manner of working we shall now proceed 
to describe. 

Behind the curtain which covers part of the partition are placed two hoi- 
low cones of metal. These cones, which are unequal in size, serve as a 
speaking trumpet to the confederate, and act as echoes, which conduct the 
voice to different parts, as two mirrors, of different concavities, operate in 
the reflection of objects at different distances. The confederate, imitating 
the notes of a bird, executes the required air. The confederate employs 
the two different echoes to convey the voice to different points, according 
to the position of the table and the bottle on which the bird is perched. The 
bird has in its body a little double bellows, and between its legs, a little 
moving peg, which puts the bellows in motion ; this peg, entering the neck 
of the bottle, leans on a piece of wood which cannot be seen, as the bottle 
is opaque. This piece of wood, being placed vertically on the movable 
bbttora of the bottle, easily moves the bellows, and is readily moved by tl^e 
levers which are under the cloth, when the confederate draws the brasti 
wire which is hidden in the feet of the table : by the same means, the bellows * 
re moved to blow out the candle, and it appai-ently pi'oves to the spectators 
N 



194 LEGERDEMAIN. 

that the notes are really formed In the throat of the bird, because the air 
comes through the bill. When the operator takes the bird in his hand he 
puts the bellows in motion with his thumb, and the wind in the same manner 
extinguishes the candle, and he persuades the company that the bird sings 
without the aid of any machinery hidden in the table ; the candle being 
only a moment extinguished, and the wick still warm, is lighted instantly, 
by the air through the bill of the bird, which, for that purpose, has been 
furnished with a little flour of brimstone, and operates as a match. 

Besides the curious Automata we have already described, various others 
have been produced by ingenious persons of different countries. Albertus 
Magnus is said to have devoted thirty years of his life to the construction of 
a head that not only moved, but spoke : Thomas Aquinas was, it is related, 
so terrified at its powers, under the impression that it was the work of 
magic, that he broke it to pieces. A locksmith of Nuremberg, in the 
sixteenth century, constructed figures that beat drums, while others played 
on lutes : and the emperor Charles the Fifth amused himself, in his retire- 
ment, by making similar Automata, or rather, Androides, for so such figures 
are called by the learned. The celebrated John Muller, it is reported, made 
a wooden eagle, in 1470, which, on the emperor Maximilian's approach to 
Nuremberg, flew to meet him. Vauconson made an Automatic duck, and, 
as Labat tells us. General de Gennes, (who, in 1688, defended St. Christo- 
pher against the English,) an Automatic peacock ; both of these were of a 
size and plumage perfectly natural : they eat, drank, walked about, and ut- 
tered the same sounds as the birds themselves. The machinery, in both 
cases, was similar to that of a watch. However astonishing these more 
complicated pieces of machimery may have been to our forefathers, in mod- 
ern times, enlightened persons regard Vauconson and his Flute-player, and 
De Kempelen and his Turk, with much less wonder than that with which 
the rustics of the present day gaze upon the Jack-pudding Jugglers, who 
amuse tliem on a Cart-stage 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 




The King of Conjurors at Cards 
His glib discourse oft interlards 

With crabbed Greek, and Latin lame :- 
By sleight of hand, performing feats, 

Which even magic put to shame. 
But when he works his master-cheats, 
This mighty King is forced to crave 
The aid of some confederate Knave. 



Among the most amusing feats of Legerdemain are the tricks with cards, 
of which, in tlie ensuing pages, we present our reader with an excellent 
series. Whatever may be the objections, and whether they be Avell founded 
or not, against card-playing among youth, it is neither our duty nor inclina- 
tion here to discuss ; it must be admitted, by every liberal mind, that for tlie 
mere purpose of performing a few amusing feats of dexterity, to wile away 
a winter evening, and relax the mind, for a time, from scholastic studies, 
the introduction of a pack of cards is unexceptionable. 

Cards have been, for many centuries, in use, having, as it is generally 
believed, been invented about the year 1390, to amuse Charles the Sixth, 
king of France, of whose wisdom, it must be confessed, historians do not 
speak very highly. Upon this circumstance the ingenious Mr. Malkin has 
observed, that the universal adoption of an amusement which was invented 
for a fool, is no very favorable specimen of the wisdom of mankind. The 
N 2 



196 TRICKS WITH CARDS. 

Honorable Daines Barrington, however, in his " Observations on the An- 
tiquity of Card-pJaying in England," asserts, that they came originally from 
Spain ; while other authors attribute their invention to a more classic and 
ancient era, and give the honor, if it be any, of their first production to 
the Romans. Having given this slight sketch of the history of cards, we 
shall proceed to furnish the necessary instructions for the performance of 
the following feats. 

FORCING. 

Forcing is making a person take such a card as you think fit, while he 
supposes he is taking one at hazard, or according to his own inclination. It 
is almost impossible to describe how this is done ; we must, however, attempt 
it. First, ascertain what the card you intend to force is ; this must be done 
privately, or while you are playing with the cards; then place it, to all 
appearance, carelessly in the pack, but still keep your eye, or the little 
finger of your left hand, in which you hold the pack, upon it. Now, ref|uest 
a person to take a card from the pack ; open them nimbly from your left to 
your right hand, spreading them backward and forward, so as to puzzle the 
person in making his choice : the moment you see him putting out his hand 
to take a card, spread on the cards till you come to the one you wish to 
force ; let its corner be most invitingly put forward in front of the other 
cards, and let it make its appearance only the moment his fingers reach the 
pack. This mode of operation seems so fair, that unless he knows the secret 
of forcing, you may put what card you please into his hand, while he thinks 
he is making a choice himself. Having thus forced your card, you may tell 
him to look at it, give him the pack to shuffle as much as he pleases, for, in 
fact, do what he will, you, of course, can always tell what it was. A method 
of doing this cleverly is the first thing to be acquired ; for without it, few of 
the master-feats can be performed. 

TO TELL A CARD THOUGHT OF BLINDFOLD. 

Take twenty-one cards, and lay them dowm in three rows, with their faces 
upward; (i. e.) when 3^ou have laid out three, begin again at the left hand, 
and lay one card upon the first, and so on to the right hand ; then begin on 
the left hand again, and so go on until you have laid out the twenty-one 
cards in three heaps, at the same time requesting any one to think of a card. 
When you have laid them out, ask him which heap his card is in : then lay 
that heap in the middle between the other two. This done, lay them out 
again in three heaps as before, and again request him to notice where his 
noted card goes, and put that heap in the middle, as before. Then taking up 
the cards with their backs toward you, take off the uppermost card, and 
reckon it one ; take off another, which reckon two ; and thus proceed till you 
come to the eleventh, which will invariably prove to be the card thought of 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 197 

You must never lay oat your cards less than three times, but as often above 
that uuniber as you please. Tliis trick may be done without your seeing the 
cards at all, if you handle and count them carefully. To diversity the 
trick, you may use a different number of cards, but the number chosen most 
be divisible by three, and the middle card, after they have been thrice dealt 
as directed, will always be the one thought of; for instance, if done with 
fifteen cards, it must be the eighth, and so on ; when the number is even, it 
must be the exact half; as, if it be twenty-four, the card thought of will be 
the twelfth, &c. 

THE SHUFFLED SEVEN. 

Desire a person to remember a card ?ind its place in the pack ; then, in 
a dexterous manner, convey a certain number of the cards from the top to 
the bottom, and subtract them, in your mind, from the number of the pack : 
for example, the pack consists of fifty-two cards, and you have conveyed 
seven to the bottom ; tell the person the card lie lias thought of will be the 
f' rty-fifth, reckoning from the number of the card, the place of which he 
has to name : thus, if he say it is the ninth, you go on counting nine, ten, 
eleven, &c. and the card he thought of will be exactly the forty -fifth, as 
you announced. 

THE PIQ,UET PACK 

Dei-' 're some person to choose three cards out of a piquet pack, observing 
that the ace is to be counted eleven points, the court cards ten, and the other 
cards according to the counts they mark. When he has made his choice, 
desire him to lay on the table his three cards, separately, and to put upon 
each parcel as many cards as are wanted to make up fifteen points ; that is 
to say, if the first card should be nine, he must place six cards ; if the second 
a ten, five cards ; and if the thiid a knave, five cards upon it, this will make 
nineteen cards employed; consequently, there will remain thirteen cards in 
the pack, which you are to ask for, and while pretending to examine, count 
them, in order to be certain of the number left ; add sixteen to the remaining 
number and yoii will have twenty-nine, the number of points that the three 
chosen cards contain. 

THE DOUBLE DOZEN. 

Present a pack of cards to one of the company, desire him to shuffle 
tJiem well, and to get them shuffled by whomsoever he pleases; then make 
several persons cut them : after which, you will propose to one of the 
coinpany to take the pack and think of a card, and remember it, and like- 
wise its order in the pack, by counting one, two, three, four, &c. till Ive 



198 TRICKS WITH CAP.DS. 

comes, inclusively, to the card thought of; offer to go into another room, or 
to be blindfolded, ^vhile he is doing this. Now declare in what order the 
card shall be in the pack : say, for instance, the twenty-fourth ; and, by 
attending to the following instructions, it will prove to be so : suppose the 
person, who thinks of the card, stops at thirteen, and that the thirteenth 
card was tJie queen of hearts; the number you have stated it shall be in tlie 
pack, being twenty -four : you return to the room, in case you had left it, or 
desire the handkerchief to be removed, if you have been blindfolded; and, 
without asking any question of the person who has thought of the card, ask 
only for the pack, and apply it to your nose, as if to smell it; then passing 
it behind your back, or under the table, take, from the bottom of the pack, 
twenty-three cards ; that is to say, one less than the number you have stated 
the card thought of shall be ; place these twenty-three cards on the top. 
Tills being done, return the pack to the person who had tlfought of the card, 
requesting him to reckon the cards from the top of the pack, beginning by 
the number of the card he thought of. His card being the thirteenth, he 
will be compelled to count fourteen, and you are to stop him when he come^ 
to twenty-three, reminding him that the number you have mentioned is 
twenty-four, and that, consequently, the twenty-fourth card, which he is 
going to take up, will be the card thought of; and so it will most certainly be. 

THE NOTED CARD NAMED. 

Take any number of cards, ten or twelve for instance, bear in mind how 
many there are, and holding them with their backs toward you, open four 
or five of the uppermost, and, as you hold them out to view, let any one 
note a card, and tell you whether it be the first, second, or third, from the 
to}). Now slmt up yom' cards in your hands, and place the rest of the pack 
npr n them ; knock their ends and sides upon the table, so that it will seem 
impossible to find the noted card; yet it may be easily done, — thus : sub- 
tract the number of cards you held in your hand from fifty-two, the whole 
number in the pack, and to the remainder add the number of the noted card, 
which will give you the number of the noted card from the top. 

GATHERING OF THE CLANS. 

Have in readiness a pack, all the cards of which are well arranged in 
successive order : that is to say, if it consist of fifty-two cards, every thirteen 
must be regularly arranged, without a duplicate of any one of them. After 
they have been cut (but do not suffer them to be shuffled,) as many times as 
a person may choose, form them into thirteen heaps of four cards each, 
with the colored faces downward, and put them carefully together again. 
When this is done, the four kings, the four queens, the four loiaves, and so 
on, muit necessarily be together. 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 199 

THE MAGIC TWELVE. 

Let any one lake the pack of cards, shuffle, lake off the upper card, and, 
Having noticed itj lay it on the table, with its face downward, and put so 
many cards upon it as will make up twelve with the number of spots on the 
noted card. For instance : if the card which the person drew was a king, 
queen, knave, or ten, bid him lay that card with its face downward, calling 
it ten ; upon that card let him lay another, calling it eleven, and upon that, 
another, calling it twelve i then bid him take off the next uppermost card : 
suppose it be a nine, let him lay it down on another part of the table, call- 
ing it nine 5 upon it let him lay another, calling it ten ; upon the latter an- 
other, calling it eleven; and upon that another, calling it twelve : then let 
him go to the next uppermost card, and so proceed to lay out in heaps, as 
before, till he has gone through the whole pack. If there be any cards at 
the last, that is, if there be not enough to make up the last noted card the 
number twelve, bid him give them to you ; then, in order to tell him the 
number of all the spots contained in all the bottom cards of the heaps, do 
thus— from the nutnber of heaps subtract four, multiply the remainder by 
fifteen, and, to the product, add the number of remaining cards, which he 
gave you ; but if there were l)ut four heaps, then those remaining cards 
alone will show the number of spots on the four bottom cards. You need 
not see the cards laid out, nor know the number of cards in each heap, it 
being sufficient to know the number of heaps, and the number of remaining 
cards, if there be any, and therefore you may perform this feat as well 
standing in another room, as if you were present 

TO TURN A CARD INTO A BIRD. 

Take a card in your hand, and show it fairly to the company, bidding 
them seriously observe it; — having a live bird in your sleeve — turning 
your hand suddenly, draw the card into your sleeve with your thumb and 
little finger, and, giving a shake, the bird will come out of your sleeve into 
your hand ; you may then produce it and let it fly. 

TO MAKE A CARD JUMP OUT OF THE PACK. 

Let any person draw a card, and afterward put it into the pack, but take 
care that you know where to find it at pleasure. This you may do by hav- 
ing forced it. Then put a piece of wax under the thumb-nail of your right 
hand, and fasten a hair by it to your thumb, ;ind the other end of the hair 
by the same means, to the card chosen; spread the pack upon the table, 
and, making use of any words you think fit, make it jump from the pack 
about tlie table. 



200 TRICKS WITH CARDS. 

THE CONFEDERATE WATER-DROP. 

Put on yoar hat, and privately drop a little water, about the size of a 
crown-piece, upon the table at which you sit ; rest your elbows upon the 
table, so that the cuffs of your sleeves may meet, and your hands stick up to 
the brim of your hat; in this posture your arms will hide the drop of water 
from the company ; then let any one shuffle the cards, put them into your 
hands, and set a candle before you, for this trick is only done by candlelight : 
— then, holding the cards in your left hand, above the brim of your hat^ 
close up to your head, so that the light of the candle may shine upon thern^ 
and holding your head down, you will see in the drop of water, as in a look- 
ing-glass, all the cards in your hands. Draw the finger of your right hand 
along each card, as if you were feeling it before you name and lay it down. 
Thus you may lay down all the cards in the pack, and name tliem, one by 
one, without once turning your eyes toward them. 

THE FOUR ACCOMPLICES. 

Let a person draw four cards from the pack, and tell him to think of one 
of them. Wlien he returns you the four cards, dexterously place two of 
them under the pack, and two on the top. Under those at the bottom you 
place four caids of any sort, and then, taking eight or ten from the bottom 
cards, you sjjread them on the table, and ask the person if the card he fixed 
on be among them. If he say no, you are sure it is one of the two cards on 
the top. You then pass those two cards to the bottom, and drawing off the 
lowest of tliem, you ask if that be not his card. If he again say no, you 
take that card up, and bid him draw his card from the bottom of the pack. If 
the person say his card is among those you first drew from the bottom, you 
must dexterously take up the four cards that you put under them, and pla- 
cing those on the top, let the other two be the bottom cards of the pack, 
whicii draw in the manner before described. 

THE NERVE TRICK. 

Force a card, and when the person who has taken it puts it in the pack„ 
let him shuffle the cards ; then look a*: them again yourself, find the card, 
and place it at the bottom ; cut them in half; give the party that half which 
contains his card at the bottom, and desire him to hold it between his finger 
and thumb just at the corner ; bid him pinch them as tight as he can ; then 
strike them sharply, and they will all fall to the ground, except the bottom 
one, which is the card he has chosen. This is a very curious trick, and, if 
well done, is really astonishing. It is a great improvement of this trick to 
put the chosen card at the top of the pack, and turn the cards face upward, 
so that when you strike, the clioosing party's card will remain in his hand^ 
actually staring him in the face. 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 201 

THE CHOSEN CARD REVEALED BY A PINCH OF SNUFF. 

Force a card, suppose, for instance, the five of clubs, having previously 
wr'tten the words, or drawn the spots, on a clean sheet of paper, with a 
tallow candle : then hand the pack to the person on whom the card is forced, 
bid him place it where, and shuffle the pack how, he pleases ; ask for a 
pinch of snufF, strew it over the sheet of paper, blow the loose grains off, and 
tlie remainder will stick to those places which the tallow has touched ; thus 
telling the person what card he has chosen. The paper, be it observed, if 
done lightly with the candle, will not appear to have any marks on it. For 
this trick we are indebted to a celebrated performer of Legerdemain, and it 
is really a most excellent one. 

THE DRAWN CARD NAILED TO THE WALL. 

Drive a flat-headed and sharp-pointed nail through a card, — force a 
similar one on any person present, — receive it into the pack, — dexterously 
drop it, and pick up, unseen, the nailed card ; place the latter at the bottom 
of the pack, which take in your right hand, and throw it, with the bottom 
forward, against a wainscoat or door ; the nailed card will be fixed, and the 
rest, of course, fall to the ground. Take care to place your nail so that the 
front of the card, when fixed to the door, maybe exposed : to effect this, you 
must also remember to put the back of the card outward, placing it face to 
face with the others, when you put it at tlie bottom of the pack. 

UPS AND DOWNS. 

This is one of the most simple ways, but by no means the less excellent, 
of ascertaining what card a person chooses. When you are playing with 
tlie pack, drop out the diamonds, from the ace to the ten, and contrive, with- 
ouf. being perceived, to get all the other cards with their heads in the same 
direction ; then request a person to choose a card ; do not force one, but let 
him choose whicJiever he pleases : while he has it in his hand, and is looking 
at it, carelessly turn the pack in your hand, so that the position of the cards 
may be reversed ; then bid him put the card he has chosen into the centre 
of tlie pack ; shuffle and cut them, and you may to a certainty know the 
card chosen, by its head being upside down, or in a different direction f\'om 
tlie rest of the pack. 

THE CARD UNDER THE HAT. 

When you have discovered a drawn card by the last or any other trick, 
contrive to get the card to the top of the pack, which place on a table under 
a hat ; put your hand beneath it, take off the top card, and, after seemingf 
to search among the cards for some time, draw it out. 



202 TRICKS WITH CARDS. 

THE TURN-OVER. 

When you have found a card chosen, which you have previously forced, 
or any card that has been drawn, and which you have discovered by the 
means before described, in order to finish your trick cleverly, convey the 
card, privately, in the top of the pack ; get all the other cards even with 
each other, but let the edge of your top card project a little over the rest ; 
hold them between your finger and thumb, about two feet from the table, let 
them drop, and the top card (which must be, as we have said, the one 
drawn,) will fall with its face uppermost, and all the rest with their faces 
toward the table. 

THE REGA.L ALLIANCE. 

Take four kings, and place between the third and fourth any two common 
cards whatever, which must be neatly concealed ; then show the four kings, 
and place the six cards at the bottom of the pack ; take one of the kings, and 
lay it on the top, and put one of the common cards into the pack nearly about 
the middle ; do the same with the other, then show that there is one king 
at the bottom ; desire any one to cut the pack, and as tlu'ee of the kings 
were left at the bottom, the four will, therefore, be found together in the 
middle of the pack. 

THE ODD SCORE. 

Take a pack of cards, and let any gentleman draw one ; then let him put 
It in the pack again, but contrive so as you may be sure to find it at pleasure, 
which you will be enabled with ease to do, by some of the preceding tricks; 
then shuffle the cards, and let another gentleman draw a card, but be sure 
you let him draw no other than the one before drawn, which you must force 
upon him ; go on in this way until twenty persons have each drawn the 
same card ; shuffle the cards together, and show your forced card, which 
will, of course, be every man's card who has di'awn. 

THE CARD IN THE EGG. 

To do this wonderful feat you must have two sticks exactly resembling 
each other in appearance : one of these sticks must be made so as to con- 
ceal a card in the middle of it ; for this purpose it must be hollow from end 
to end, and have a spring to throw the card into the egg at pleasure. The 
operation is this : — ^peel a card, roll it up, put it into the false stick, and 
there let it lie until you have occasion to make use of it. Take a pack of 
cards, and let any person draw one ; but be sure to let it be a similar card 
to the one which you have in the hollow stick. This must be done by 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 



20S 



forcing. The person who has chosen it will put it into tlie pack again, andy 
while you are shuffling, let it fall into your lap. Then, calling for some 
eggs, desire the person who drew the card, or any other person in tJie com» 
pany, to choose any one of the eggs. When they have done so, ask the per- 
son if there be anything in it 1 He will answer there is not. Take the 
egg in your left hand, and the hollow stick in your right ; — break the egg 
with the stick, let the spring go, and the card will be driven into the egg^ 
You may then show it the spectators, but be sure to conceal the hollow sticky 
and produce the solid one, which place upon the table for examination. 



THE PAINTED PACK. 

Take a pack of cards, and paint the backs of one half of the pack with 

what figures you think fit, as meny 
women, birds, flowers, &c. Also 
paint the faces of the other lialf of 
the cards in the same manner ; thus 
you will have a complete pack of odd 
pictures, and may, by showing the 
faces, of that part of the pack whose 
backs only have been painted, and 
then, by a momentary shuffle, appa- 
rently transforming them into a set 
of grotesque figures,, produce muclj. 
amusement. There is another man- 
ner of making the pack ; it is as 
follows : — Take a dozen cards, or 
more, and draw a line from the right- 
hand upper corner to the left-hand- 
lower corner of the face of each of 
them ; they will thus be all equally 
divided. Then paint part of some 
odd figure on the right division of 
each card, leaving the left untouched. 

By a little dexterity, you may now seem to transform a set of common cards 

into a painted pack. 

TO CONVEY A CARD INTO A CHERRY-STONE. 

Burn a hole through the shell of a nut or cheny-stone, and also through 
the kernel, with a hot bodkin, or bore it with an awl, and with a needle^ 
pick out the kernel, so that the hole in it may be as wide as the hole of the 
shell ; then write the name of a card on a piece of fine paper, roll it up 




^04 TRICKS WITH CARDS. 

hard, put it into the nut or cherry-stone, stop the hole up with some hees' 
wax, and rub it over with a little dust, and it will not be perceived ; then 
while some by-stander draws a card, observe, " It is no matter what card 
you draw ;" and, if you use the cards well, you will offer him, and he will 
receive, a similar card to that you have rolled up in the nut. Give him tlie 
nut and a pair of crackers, and he will find the name of the card he drew 
rolled up in its kernel. 

THE CARD IN THE MIRROR. 

Provide a circular mirror, the frame of which must be, at least, as wide 
as a card. The glass in the centre must be made to move in two grooves, 
and so much of the silvering must be scraped off as is equal to the size 
of a common card. Observe that the glass be likewise wider than the 
card. Then paste over the part where the quicksilver is rubbed off, a 
card that exactly fits the space. The mirror must be placed against a 
partition, through which two strings pass to an assistant in the adjoin- 
ing room, who can easily move the glass in the grooves, and consequently, 
make the card appear or disappear at pleasure. Matters being thus pre- 
pared, contrive to make a person draw the same sort of card with that 
fixed to the mirror, and place it in the middle of the pack ; then make 
the pass, and bring it to the bottom ; direct the person to look for his card 
in the mirror, when the confederate, behind the partition, is to draw it 
«lowly forward, and it will appear as if placed between the glass and quick- 
silver. While the glass is being drawn forward, you slide off the card 
from the bottom of the pack, and convey it away. The card fixed to the 
mirror may easily be changed each time the experiment is performed. 
This recreation may also be made with a print that has a glass before it, 
and a frame of sufficient width, by making a slit in the frame, through 
which the card is to pass ; but the effect will not be so striking as in the 
mirror. 

THE MOUSE IN THE PACK. 

Have a pack of cards fastened together at the edges, but open in the middle 
like a box, a whole card being glued on as a cover, and many loose ones plac- 
ed above it, which require to be dexterously shuffled, so that the entire may 
seem a real pack of cards. The bottom must likewise be a whole card, 
glued to the box on one side only, yielding immediately to exterior pressure, 
and serving as a door by which you convey tlie mouse into the box. Being 
thus prepared, and holding the bottom tight with your hand, require one of 
the company to place his open hands together, and tell him you mean to 
produce something very marvellous from tliis pack of cards ; place the carda 



TRICKS WITH CARDS. 205 

then in his hands, and while you engage his attention in conversation, take 
the box in the middle, throw the pack aside, and the mouse will remain in the 
hands of the person who held the cards. 

THE MARCHING CARD. 

One of the company is desired to draw a card, which is afterward mixed 
with the pack, and commanded to appear on the wall : it accordingly obeys j 
advancing as it is ordered, and describes an inclined line from the right to 
the left : it disappears at the top of the room, and appears an instant after-- 
ward, moving in a horizontal direction : — to do this, first force a card ; 
after having shuffled the pack, withdraw the forced card, privately, and 
show the com{ iiny the pack again, that tliey may see it is no longer there : 
when you order it to appear on the wall, a confederate adroitly draws a 
thread, at the end of which is previously fastened a similar card, which 
comes from behind a glass ; it is fastened by very minute loops of silk to 
uiother thread fully stretched, along which it runs, and performs its route 
as directed. 

THE BURIED HEART. 

A curious deception may be practised, by cutting out neatly, and thinly 
shaving, the back of a club, which is then to be pasted slightly over an ace 
of hearts. After showing a person the card, let him hold one end of it, and 
you hold the other, and, while you amuse him with discourse, slide off the 
club ; then, laying the card on the table, bid him cover it with his hands, 
knock under the table, and command the club to turn into the ace of hearts. 

CONFEDERATE SIGNALS. 

This amusement is to be performed by confederacy ; you previously 
agree with your confederate on certain signs, by which he is to denote the 
suite, and the pcurticular card of each suite, as thus : if he touch the first 
button of his coat it signifies an ace, if the second, a king, &c. and then 
again if he take out his handkerchief, it denotes the suite to be hearts ; if he 
take snuff, diamonds, &c. These preliminaries being settled, you give the 
pack to a person who is your confederate, and tell him to separate any one 
card from the rest while you are absent, and draw his finger once over it. 
He is then to return you the pack, and while you are shuffling the cards, you 
carefully note the signals made by your confederate ; then turning the cards 
over one by one, you fix on the card he touched. 



£06 TRICKS WITH CAUDS, 

THE CARD IN THE POCKET-BOOK, 

A confederate is previously to know the card you have taken from the 
pack, and put into your pocket-book ; you then present the pack to him, and 
desire him to fix on a card, (which we will suppose to be the queen of 
diamonds) and place the pack on the table ; you then ask him the name of 
the card, and wlien he says the queen of diamonds, you ask him if he is not 
mistaken, and if lie be sure that the card is in the pack 1 V/hen he replies 
in the affirmative, you say, " It might be there when you looked over the 
cards, but I believe it is now in my pocket; then desire a third person to 
put his hand in your pocket, and take out your book, and when it is opened 
Jie card will appear. 

The assistant in this, and, in fact, in all similar tricks, must be dexterous ; 
he ought to understand what you wish him to do by the slightest hint, — 
cough, a motion of the finger, or conjuring stick — o** he will never answer 
for the confederate of a Conjuror. 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



Come hither all ye youthful Sages, 

Come and peruse our sequent pages •, 

We care not whence the good wind blows you, 

For sure we are that we shall poze you. 

Paradoxes and Puzzles, although by many persons looked upon as mere 
ti'ifles, have, in numerous instances, cost their inventors considerable time, 
and exhibit a great degree of ingenuity. We can readily^magine thaJt some 
of the complicated puzzles in the ensuing pages may have been originally 
constructed by captives, to pass away the hours of a long and dreary impris- 
onment ; thus does the misery of a few, frequently conduce to the amusement 
of many. We look upon a Paradox as a sort of superior riddle, and a 
tolerable Puzzle, in our opinion, takes precedence of a first-rate rebus. 
There is often considerable thought, calculation, patience, and management, 
required to solve some of these strange enigmas ; and we have, ere noAV, 
followed the mazes of a Puzzle so ardently, as to be entirely absorbed in de- 
vising means to extricate ourself from its bewildering difficulties ; and felt 
almost as much pleasure in eventually achieving a victory over it, as we 
have in conquering an adversary at some superior game of skill. It is, 
** in good sooth, a right dainty and pleasant pastime," to watch the stray 
wanderings of another person attempting to elucidate a Paradox, or perform 
a Puzzle, with which one is previously acquainted. It is laughable to see 
him elated with hope at the apparent speedy end of his trouble, when you 
know that, at that moment, he is actually farther from his object than he was 
when he began : and it is no less amusing to watch his increasing despair, 
as he conceives himself to be getting more and more involved, when you are 



208 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



well aware that he is within a single turn of a happy termination of his 
toils ; but what a mirthful moment is that, wdieii, there being only two ways 
to turn, the one right and the other wrong, as is usually the case, he takes 
the latter, and becomes more than ever 

" Pozed, puzzled, and perplexed." 

A Paradox or a Puzzle ought, perhaps, never to be explained ; the party 
to whom it is proposed should rather be left in ignorance of its solution, unless 
he succeed in discovering it himself; if he fail after two or three efforts, and 
vou disclose it, his vanity will be hurt, on account of his having been foiled 
by a question that, after its solution, appears so simple, or in some instances, 
he will call it silly and ridiculous ; whereas, if he discover it without 
assistance, he will praise it for its excellence, and be pleased at his own 
cleverness. 

We now proceed to open our budget : — Our first article is- 

TROUBLE-WIT. 

Take a sheet of stiff paper, fold it down the middle of the sheet, long- 
ways ; then turn down the edge of each fold outward, the breadth a penny ; 
measure it as it is folded, into three equal parts, with compasses, which make 
six divisions in the sheet; let each third part be turned outward, and the 
other, of course, will fall right; then pinch it a quarter of an inch deep, in 
plaits, like a ruff; so that, when the paper lies pinched in its form, it is in the 
fashion represented by A ; when closed together, it will be like B ; unclose 
It again, shuffle it with each hand, and it will resemble the shuffling of a pack 
of cards; close it, and turn each corner inward with your fore-finger and 



A 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 209 

Uiumb, it will appear as a rosette for a lady's shoe, as C ; strel:;h it fortl? 




and it will resemble a cover for an Italian couch, as D ; let go your fore- 




(iiiiiiiiMimH 



VNA. 






^iiiiiiiiiii^ 






!^\\^\r 



nr 



fmger at the lower end, and it will resemble a wicket j E ; close it i'J^i\m^ 






.„.j,„..I.,-„ 



lili 



VVVv^V 



'\A' 






210 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



and pinch it at the bottom, spreading the top, and it will represent a fan, as 
F ; pinch it half-way, and open the top, and it will appear in the form 
shown by G ; hold it in that form, and with the thumb of your left hand, 
turn out the next fold, and it will be as H. 




In fact, by a little ingenuity and practice, Trouble-wit may be made to 
assume an infinite variety of forms, and be productive of very considerable 
amusement. 

THE SLIGHTED LADY. 



We shall suppose there are 13 ladies in company, one of whom you wish 
lo mortify; yon, therefore, provide 12 nosegays, and, without showing any 
v.ppearance of partiality, announce that you mean to let chance decide 
wiiir'i of them is to go without one. For this purpose, make the 13 ladies 
stand up in a ring, allowing them to place themselves as they please; and 
distribute to them the 12 nosegays, counting tliem from 1 to 9, and making 
the ninth retire from the ring, and carry with h'^-i* a nosog;n'. It will be 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



211 



foundj that the eleventh, reckoning from the one by whom you began, will 
remain the last ; and, consequently, will have no share in the distribution ; 
you, of course, will begin counting with the one who stands second in the 
ring from the party to be excluded. 

The following table will show the person, before her whom you wish to 
exclude, with whom you must begin to count 9 ; supposing, always, tliat 
the number of the nosegays is less by one tlian that of the persons. 

For 13 persons J tlie 11th before. 

12 2d. 

11 5th. 

10 7th. 

9 8th. 

8 8ih. 

7 ...... 7t3i. 

6 5th. 

5 3d. 

4 3d. 

3 2d. 

2 1st. 



THE WINE MERCHANT AND HIS CLERK. 

A wine-merchant caused 32 casks of choice wine to be deposited in his 
cellar, giving orders to his clerk to arrange them, as in the annexed figure, 
so that each external row should contain nine. The 
clerk, however, took away 12 of them, at three differ- 
ent times ; that is, four each time ; yet, when the mer- 
chant went into the cellar, after each theft had been 
committed, the clerk always made him count nine ia 
each row. How was this possible 1 

This problem may be easily solved by inspecting tbe 
following figures : — 



17 1 

7 7 

17 1 



2d Order. 



3d Order. 



4th Order. 



2 

5 
2 


5 
5 


2 
5 
2 



3 3 



o 2 



212 



PARADOXES AN'D PUZZLES. 



PROFIT AND LOSS. 

A man bought ninety-six apples at three a penny, and tlie same number 
a^. two a penny ; he sold them again at the rale of five for two-pence. Que- 
ry. Did he gain or lose 1 

Answer. He lost. The ninety-six apples, at thiee a penny, cost him 
2s. 8d., and the ninety-six, at two a pemiy, 4s., making together, 6s. 8d. 
lie had one hundred and ninety-two af spies, and sold thirty-eight two- 
penny-worths; for which he receivcvd, of course, 6s. 4d. When he had 
done this, he had only two apples left : he, consecjuently, lost a ft'action 
above SAd. 







E 


1 ! \^ 


^^ 










^ 


d 




^^. 


LM-'T^ 






JT 





THE GEOMETRICAL MONEY. 

Draw^ on pasteboard the f)Ilowing rectangle, whose side, A C, is three 
inches, and A B, ten inches. Divide the longest side into ten equal parts, 

and the shortest into three equal 
]mrts, and dra\v the perpendicuLir 
lines, as in tiie figure, wliich will 
divide it into thiity equal squares. 
From A to D draw the diagonal 

A.''^~ L 1 — \ ! g XxwQ^ and cut the figure, by thut 

line, into two equal triangles, an 1 
cut those triangles into two ec^ual parts, in the direction of tlie lines, E F 
and G H. You will then have two triangles, and two four-sided irregular 
figures, which you are to place together, in the 
manner they stood at first, and in each square 
you are to draw the figure of a piece of money ; 
observing to make those in the squares through 
which the line, A D, passes, somewhat imperfect. 
As the pieces stand together in the foregoing 
figure, you will count thirty pieces of money 
only ; but if the two triangles and the two irreg- 
ular figures be joined together, as in the two last annexed figures, there 
will be thirty-two pieces. 

QUAINT QUERY. 

What is the difference between six dozen dozen, and a half-a-dozen 
dozen 1 

^ Answer. 792 : — Six dozen dozen being 864, and half-a-dozen dozen, 72. 

THE SHEEP-FOLD. 

A farmer had a pen made of 50 hurdles, capable of holding 100 sheep 




m 



PARADOXES AND PU2ZLES. 213 

<;nlv .' supposing- he wanted to make it sufficiently large to hold double that 
iiu;riher, — how many additional hurdles would he have occasion for*? 

Answer. Tvvo. There were 48 hurdles on each side of the pen ; a hur- 
dl.i at the top, and another at the bottom ; so that, by moving one of the 
sides a little back, and placing an additional hurdle at the top and bottom, 
tlie size of the pen would be exactly doubled. 

THE IMPOSSIBILITY MADE POSSIBLE. 

Place three pieces of money on the table, and desire some person to take 
away tlie piece from the centre without touching it. 

If the manner of executing it be not discovered, remove one of the end 
pieces to the otlier side, and thus you take away the piece from the cen- 
ii e without touching it. 

THE CURIOUS CROSS. 

Compose a cross, with thirteen sixpences, shillings, or any otner coins, 
as No. 1, in which it will be perceived you may reckon nine in three 
different Avays ; that is to say, in the entire per- 
pendicular line, up the perpendicular line to the 
cross line, and including the cross line, first on 
the right, then on the left. These are the quali- 
o o ties of the cross. The puzzle is to take two of tlie 

o o pieces away, and still to leave the same qualities 

o o in the cross. This is done by taking away the 

o o two outside pieces of the cross line, and lifting 

o o the tvvo which remain one piece higher. The 

o o figure will then be as No. 2 

SEVEN IN TWO, 

Cut a piece of bread, or paper, in the form ot a hoise-shoe, (vide Fig. 1,) 

aihl desire some person, by two cuts, to divide it into seven pieces. The 

manner of doing this is as follows : — Cut across 

from a to b ; this will divide the shoe into three 

pieces : then place the two ends by the side of the 

1^5 upjier part, as Fig. 2, and cut across from c to d. 

riie shoe will then be cut into seven pieces. 

There is a figure puzzle somewhat similar to this, 

by which five may be made seven in one cut. A 

J iece of paper is cut out in the shape of a Roman 

] umeral five (V) ; it is then, with a knife or s(;is- 

sors, cut across, and the tvvo points placed on tlie 

right of the lower part; thus it becomes seven, (VII.) 



No. 1. 


No. 2. 


c 





o 


ooo 


ooooo 


o 



214 PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 

THE PARTIAL REPRIEVE. 

To arrange 30 criminals in such a manner that, by counting them in sue* 
cession, always beginning again at the first, and rejecting every ninth per- 
son, 15 of them may be saved : — Arrange the criminals according to tlie 
order of the vowels in the following Latin verse : 

4521 31 12231221 
Populeam virgam mater regina ferebat. 

Because o is tlie fourth in the order of the vowels, you must begin by four 
of those whom you wish to save ; next to these place five of those whom 
you wish to punish ; and so on alternately, according to the figm^es which 
stand over the vowels of the above verse, 

FAMOUS FORTY-FIVE. 

How can number 45 be divided into four such parts tliat, if to the first part 
you add two, from the second part you subtract two, to the third part you 
multiply by two, and the fourth part you divide by two, the sum of the ad- 
dition, the remainder of the subtraction, the product of the multiplication, 
and the quotient of the division, be all equal 1 

Answer, 

The 1st is 8, to which add 2, the sum is 10 

The 2d is 12, subtract ... 2, the remainder is .... 10 

The 3d is 5, multiplied by 2, the product is 10 

The 4th is 20, divided by 2, the (luotient is ..... 10 

45 

THE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE CABBAGES. 

Suppose a man have a wolf, a goat, and a basket of cabbages, on the 
bank of a river, that he wislies to cross with them ; and that liis boat is only 
big enough to carry one of the three besides himself. He must, therefore, 
take them over one by one, in such a manner, that the wolf shall have no 
opportunity of devouring the goat, or the goat of devouring the cabbages. 
How is he to do this '? 

Answer, First, he takes over the goat ; lie then returns, and takes 
the wolf; he leaves the wolf on the other side, and brings back the goat ; 
he now takes over the cabbages, and comes back once more, to fetch the 
goat. Thus, the wolf will never be left with the goat, nor the goat with 
the cabbages. 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



215 




THE CHERRY CHEAT. 

Cut two longitudinal slips out of a card, asa b c d (Fig. 1 ;) also, cut out 
an oval above these slips, as e. Take the part (/*) between the two lon- 
gitudinal apertures, with 
your finger and thumb, 
and draw it toward you, 
until the card be bent in- 
to a half-circle ; pass part 
of/* through the oval, e, 
and then, through the part 
of / so passed through 
c, introduce one of two 
cherries, whose stems 
grow together. Let the 
stems, and also f, pass 
back through the oval ; 
put your card as much in the original position as possible again, and it will 
appear as Fig. 2. The puzzle is to get the cherries off without breaking 
their stems, or damaging the card. It is only to be done in the manner 
described for putting them on. 

THE TRIFI.E ACCOMMODATION. 

To form a regular geometrical solid, which shall fill up a circle, a square, 
and a triangle. Take a round piece of wood ; let its height be the same 

as its diameter ; mark a line diamet- 
rically through its centre, at one end 
(Fig. 1 ;) then cut away the wood, 
right and left, from the line at the top, 
regularly, toward each edge, at the 
bottom. You will then have Fig. 2. 
Then, in a piece of card, or tliin 
board, cut a circle of the same di- 
ameter, as the base of the figure you 
have formed, and a square, each 
side of which is the same as the di- 
ameter of the circle : also, a triangle, whose base and height are the same 
as the square ; and the figure you have cut out will exactly fit all three. 
This may be performed, for the sake of expedition, with a cork, a piece of 
apple, or anything easy to cut, and a piece of stifi" paper. 

THE POOR-HOUSE PROBLEM. 

There is a square piece of land, containing twenty-five acres, designed 
for the reception of twenty-four poor men and tlieir governor, who aie each 




216 PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 

to have a lionse sitiuited in his own groiial, with tlie governor's in the centre. 
How many people's land must tlie governor pass thi'oagh before he gets to 
tiio outside of the whole 1 

Answer. Two; for the ground being a square, it will consist of five 
rowsj each five acres. 

EIGHTEEN WORDS IN TWENTY-THREE LETTERS. 

What do the following letters signify in the French language, proiiouncec 
In the order in which tliey stand 1 

inneopyliavqliattliedcd 

Answer. Helene est nee au pays grec, elle y a vecu, elle y a tete, elle 
y est decedee. 

THE PUZZLING RINGS. 

This pc^rpisxin^- invention is of great a'!ti(|uity, and was treated on by 
C;sid;u>, the niadiem^itician, at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It 
<•on.'i.■^t,-. (;f a iiat piece of IJiin inetai or i),>ne, v/it!i ten h.>les in it; in eacli 
U()].i a wire i.-^ loosely Mxed, beaten out inio a h:^ad at 'one end, to prevent its 
slijiping tjiroagh, and the other fastened to a ring, also I'.'CL-e. Each wire 
has been iiasped through the ring <,.f tiie next wire, previoubly to its own ring 
iudng fistcjiiej on; iuid throng;! tiie wiij'e of the rings, nnv a wire loop or 
b')u-, \\h::'Ii iihy.) contains, within its oh], »ng space, ail iho wi;es to vvJiicli the 
riiiL;-? are iastonod ; the whole preseiiting ^o co:Li;jlic:itod <\\\ ap|,e;<;-;jnce, as 
f) aiake the releasing iiie rings iVom the bow appear aii U!;!v>s^,iii!i;!y. The 
C')ns(rnv"tion of it wonld be foi;nd rsUher trr-viMesonie to V.\^ ;iriiii'"u-, but it 
may be pui chased at most of ihe toy-shops, "iery iightiy an i ci<-g<a!l;'y juadc. 
It also exists in various parts of the ('<aintry, f >rge i in lo--, pculr.ips, by 
s;>!!i;' iagenious village me;:hanic. and ^^ptiV na:oed '' Ti^e 'iNriog i>\'r.<..''' 
I'he f>lii>wing instrsjctions wii! sliov/ tiie jaincirde on wlilch the pii/.zie is 
coiisiructed, and will prove a key to its sohilion. 

Take the loop in your lefthan i, holding it f>t t'>een;l ]>, an,l consI.'';r the 
iings as being nusnbered lot to iOlh. The 1st v/iil be tlie extreaie ring to 
iho rig'u, i^.nd tlie 10th tlie nearest to yonr left liair!. 

It will be seen tliat tlie difficulty arises fro;a e:;c!! ring passing r'.'-und 
the wh\] of its right-hand neighbour. The extren^ie ring.at thii right b.md, 
of cornse, being uncormected with any otlier wire than its own, uiay, al 
any time, be drawn off tl»e end of the bow at A, raised up, dropped 
through the bow, and finally released. After you have-tione this, try to 
pass the 2d|ring in the same way, and you will hot succeed, as it is 
olwtmcted by the wire of tlie 1st ring; but if you bring the Jst ring on 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



2IT 



again, by reversing tlie process by which you took it off, viz. by putting 
it up through the bow, and on to the end of it, you will then find, that by 
taking the 1st and 2d rings together, they will both draw off, lift up, and' 
di-op through the bow* Having done this, try to pass the 3d ring off, and 




you will not be able ; because it is fastened on one side to its own v/ire^, 
which is wi'hin the bow, and on the other side, to the 2d ring, which is 
without the bow. Therefore, leaving the 3d ring for the presient, try the 4th 
ring, which is now at the end ail but one, and both of the wires whicdi ^ifi'ect 
it being within the bow, you will drnw it off without oF;struction ; and, m 
doi]igtiiis,you will have to slip tlie 3d ring off, which will not (iff p tlirough,. 
fciv the rcHsorrs before given; so, having drcf'ncd the 4th rivg th.ici'gh, y-vv 
can only ^^^ip the 3J ring on= again. If'ou will m-w corapreJiena, that (vvitb 
the exception of the 1st ring) the only ring, which can at Hny tinie be re- 
leased, is that which happens to be 2d on the l)ow,. at the right-liand en]; 
because both the wires which affect it, being within tlie bow, there will !)e no 
trnperiiraeot to its dropping through. You ha\e new the 1st and 2d rings 
releaircd, and tlie 4th also, — the Sd s^till firmed ; t<> release vvhicli, we n)u>-;t 
make it last but one on the bow, and to effect which, pass tJie 1st an 1 2d 
rings together through the bow, and on to it ; then release the 1st ring agrdn 
hy shipping it off, and dropping it tlirougli, and the SJ ring will stand as 2d 
en tlie bow, in its proper position f>r releasing, l)y drawing the 2;1 and £d 
Q,ff together, dropping the 3d through, and slippirtg the 2d on agnin. Now 
to release the 2d, put the 1st up, through and on tlie l)ow ; then slip the 
two together off, raise them up, and drop them through. Tl^e 6th will 
now stand 2d, consequently, in its proper place fr reie;ising; tlieref re, 
draw it toward the end, A, slip the 5th off, then tiie 6th, an<l (iro{i it througli ; 
after which rej)lace the 5thJ as you camjot release it isntil it stjaid in the 
position of a 2d ring; in order to effect this, you must bring tiio l^t and 2d' 
lings together, through and on to the bow; th»en, in order to get the 3;i on„ 



218 PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 

slip the first off, and down through the bow; tlien bring the 3d up, through 
and on to the bow ; then bring the 1st ring up and on again, and, releasing the 
1st and 2d together, bring the 4th tlirough, and on to the bow, replacing the 
Sd : then bring the 1st and 2d together on, drop the 1st off and through, then 
tlie 3d the same, replace the 1st on the bow, take off the 1st and 2d together, 
and the 5th will then stand 2d, as you desired ; draw it toward the end, 
slip it off and through, replace the 4th, bring the 1st and 2d together up 
and on again, release the l«t, bring on the 3d, passing the 2d ring on to 
the bow again, replace the 1st in order to release the 1st and 2d together; 
then bring the 4th toward the end, slipping it off and through, replace 
tlie 3d, bring the 1st and 2d together up and on again, release the Isl, 
tiien the 3d, replacing the 2d, bring the 1st up and on, in order to release 
the 1st and 2d together, which having done, your 8th ring will then stand 
21, consequently you can release it, slipping the 7th on again. Then to 
release the 7th, you must begin by putting the 1st and 2d up and on to- 
gether, and, going through the movements in the same succession as be- 
fore, until you find you have only the 10th and 9th on the bow ; then slip 
the 10th off and through the bow, and replace the 9th. This dropping of 
the 10th ring is the first effectual movement toward getting the rings off, 
as all the changes you have gone through, were only to enable you to get 
at the 10th ring. You will then find that you have only the 9th left on the 
t)ow, and you must not be discouraged on learning, that in order to get 
that ring off, all the others to the right hand must be put on again, begin- 
ning by putting the 1st and 2d together, and working as before, until you 
find that the 9th stands as 2d on the bow, at which time you can release 
it. You will then have only the 8th left on the bow; you must again 
put on all the rings to the right hand, beginning by putting up the 1st and 
2d together, till you find the 8th standing as 2d on the bow, or in its proper 
position for releasing; and so you proceed, until you find all tlie rings 
finally released. 

As you commence your operations with all the rings ready fixed on 
the bow, you will release the 10th ring in 170 moves : but as you then 
iiave only the 9th on, and as it is necessary to bring on again all the i-ings 
up to the 9th, in order to release the 9th, and which requires 15 moves 
more, you will consequently, release the 9th ring in 256 moves; and, for 
your encouragement, your labor will diminish, by one half, with each 
fallowing ring which is finally released. The 8th comes off in 128 moves, 
tlie 7th in 64 moves, and so on, until you arrive at the 2d and 1st rings, 
which come off together, making 681 moves, which are necessary to take 
<off all the rings. With the experience you will, by this time, have ac- 
quired, it is only necessary to say, that to replace the rings, you begin by 
putting up tlie 1st and 2d together, and follow precisely the same systeia 
as before. 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



219 




THE CARD PUZZLE. 

One of the best puzzles hitherto made, is represented in the annexed cut. 
A4 is a piece of card; 6 6, a narrow slip divided from its bottom edge, 
the whole breadth of the card, except just 
sufficient to hold it on at each side ; c c, 
is another small slip of card, with two 
large square ends, e e j d!, is a bit of a to- 
bacco-pipe, through which c c is passed, 
and which is kept on by the two ends, 
e €. Tiie puzzle consists in getting the 
pipe off without breaking it, or injuring 
any other part of the puzzle. This, whicU 
appears to be impossible, is done in the 
most simple manner. On a moment's con- 
sideration, it will appear plainly, that 
there must be as much difficulty in getting 
the pipe in its present situation, as tiiere can be in taking it away. The 
way to put the puzzle together, is as follows : — The slip, c c, e e, is cut out of 
a piece of card, in the shape delineated in Fig. 3. The card in tlie first 
figure, must then be gently bent at A, so as to allow of the slip at the bot- 
tom of it being also bent sufficiently to pass 
doul)le through the pipe, as in Fig. 2. The 
detached slip with the square ends, (Fig. 3,) 
is then to be passed half way through the 
loop, f, at the bottom of the pipe ; it is 
next to be doubled in the centre, at a, and 
pulled through the pipe, double, by means 
of the loop of the slip to the card. Upon 
unbending the card, the puzzle will be 
complete, and appear as represented in 
Fig. 1. In order to take the pipe off, the 
card must be doubled, as (Fig. 2,) the slip 
passed through it, until there is sufficient 
of the loop below the pipe to allow of one 
of the square ends of the slip (Fig. 3) being passed through it. Fig. 3 is 
then to be taken away, and the pipe slipped off. The card for this puzzle 
must be cut very neatly, the puzzle handled gently, and great care taken, 
that in doubling the card, to put on the pipe, no creases are made in it, as 
tliey would, in all probability, spoil your puzzle, by betraying, to an acute 
spectator, the mode of operation. 




'el 



la 



^20 



PARA-DQXES AND PUZZLES, 



THE SQUARE HOLE AND ROUND STOPPER. 

K )vv r:m a meclmnic file a square liole with a round file, and fill up an 
<jvh] hoie with a round stopper 1 

Ayiswcr. A piece of jyliable metal being- doubled, by applying- a round 
file to the double edge, and filing a half scjuare gap, on opening the metal, 
a square will appear. Again, if two corners and an ed^e, at the end of a 
miser's iron chest, be filed away with a round, or any other file, there will 
be an exact square hole left. And further, if a cylindrical body be cut 
obliquely, the plane of the section will be an oval ; and, consequently, a 
round l>:xly, situated obliquely in an oval hole, will completely fill it. 



THE HEART AND BALL PUZZLE. 

To \\\\\\<,Q this puzzle, it is only necessary to cut a thin piece of wood into 

ihe shape of a lie-art, to make six holes in it, as represented in the annexed 

cut, an i provide a thin silken cord, which is to be donbled, and the two 

eofis fastened into a small woodcji bull. To play the ball on, pass the looj) 

ti.Toi'vgh the hole 6, from face to :!^i.^ k, ur? to 2, t'urough which bring it, and 

ihen through 3, 5, 4, and 1, in si];'cessi(>n : then through 2 again, and down 

the Laclv to 6 ; bring it througli 6 to the face, 

and pass it over tlie bail ; then draw the loop back 

agaiPi thi oiigl^k C and 2, and the puzzle (whi(;h is 

to take the ball and string off after being thu8 

fixed) isset- To j lay the ball off, place the heart 

L:;f;i !^ yo^! in the position descrd)e<l by the cut : 

sl;i<:ken the' string by dravving, at the back, the 

l><dlt')uardtheh()!e6; then loosen tiie restoftiie 

* string by pulling it toward you, and draw uj) the 

loop, as fir as you can : then pass the loop through 

liide 2, dovvu th.e other side of the heart, to 6; 

{hrough whicii biing it to the face, and pass it 

over the b;d! ; then draw the loop uac k agahi 

through the same hole, and tin? ball an i the string will come oft'. Care 

f^hould be taken to avoid I wilting or entangling the string. Tlje length of 

the strijig should be proportionerl to the si/.e of the heart; if you make the 

lieart two indies and a half higii, the siring, when doubled, should be about 

nine inches loni>. 




THE SCALE AND RING PUZZLE. 



Provide a (bin j)icce of wood of about two inches and a half s(]uare, 
tnake a lound liole at each corner, sufficiently large to admit three or four 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



times the thickiiess of the cord you will tifrerwjiril use, and, in the iiiidille of 
the board, make four smaller round holes, in tlie form of a square, im:] al^iust 
half an inch between each. Then take four pieces of thin sifl^eii cord, e;u b 
about six inches long, pass one through each of the four corner liole.-^, ^0 ^'-o '^ 
knot underneath at the eiid, or aOixing a JJitie ball 
or bead to prevent its drawing tiirough ; take an- 
otlier cord, wlii(;li, when doubled, will be about 
seven inches long, and pass the two ends through 
the middle holes, a a, from t!i8 front to the back of 
the board, (one cord through eacii hole^) and tigain 
from back to front through the other holes, b h: tie 
the six ends together in a knot, so as to form a small 
scale, and proportioning the length of the cords, fo 
that when you hold the scale sut^pended, the mi. Idle 
G04!-d, besides passing through the four ccrrtre li-d-Sy 
will admit of being drawn up mio a loop of about 
half an 'm?\\ from tJie surface of the scale : provide 
a ring of inetai, or bone, of about three quarters ai 
an inch in diameter, and place It on tlie scale, 
bringing the loop tlu'ough its mi idle : then draw- 
ing the loop a little through the scale toward you, {}ass it, d'jubie rvs it 
is, through the hole at the corner, A, over the knot underneath, and .draw it 
back : then pass it in the same way through the hole at corner B, cner tho 
knot, and draw it back : then drawing up the loop a little more, pass it over 
the knot at top, and, afterw^ard, through the holes C and D, in succession, 
like the others, and the ring will be fixed. The puzzle consists in releasing 
the ring ; to effect which, you have only to reverse the farmer process, by 
passing the loop through the holes, D, C, B, and A, in the manner betbre 
described. 




THE OYSTER WAGER. 



Two men eat oysters together for a wager, who shoukl eat most. One 
eat ninety-nine only, the other eat a hundred and won. How many did the 
winner eat 1 Answer. One hundred. 



HODGE AND HIS HAY. 

A truss of hay, weighing but half a hundred weight in a scale, weighed 
two hundred weight stuck upon the end of a fork, carried upon Hodge's 
shoulder : how could that be 1 

Answer. The fork was as the steel-yard ; Hodge's shoulder as the ful- 
crum sustaining the burden between the two powers, acting at both ends of 
the fork. 



222 



PARADOXES AND PUZZLES. 



THE SQ,UARES OF TRIANGLES. 

Cut twenty triangles out of a square bit of wood, as marked in the en- 
graving, mix them up together, and bid any person make an exact square 
of them. Tlie key to this puzzle may be acquir- 
ed by remembering the black lines in the cut ; by 
which it will be seen, that four triangles are to be 
placed at the corners, and a small square made in 
the centre ; when this is done, the remainder is 
easy of execution. A piece of card will do in- 
stead of wood ; it is much easier to cut out ; but, 
on account of its warping, wood is to be preferred 
to it. Great care must be taken that all the edges 
are smooth and regular ; for if any of them are 
notched, or wavy, so as to tally with each other, they may, of course, with 
little difficulty, be put together. 

Many other Puzzles, similar to the Square of Triangles, may, witli a lit- 
tle ingenuity, be constructed, in such a manner as to afford their young 
inventor the means of much amusement. 



V4l-:7 


l/LC--^ 


/ 


/\ /^ 



TARIETIES. 




Bluff JEolus, who roars across the de-ep 
And howls among the mountain pines to-day, — 
To-morrow, on the harp or lyre, will breathe 
Such melting music, as from Memnon's head, 
When first Apollo's gleam fell on his brow. 
Was heard to issue in the days of yore. 



THE iEOT.lAN HARP 

The instrument consists of a long narrow box of very thin deal, about 
five or six inehes deep, with a circle in the middle of the upper side, of an 
inch and a half in diameter, in which are to be drilled small holes. On this 
eide, seven, ten, or more strings, of very fine gut, are stretched over bridges 
at each end, like the bridge of a fiddle, and screwed up, or relaxed with 
screw-pins. The strings must be all tuned to one and the same note, and 
tlie instrument be placed in some current of air, where the wind can pass 
over its strings with freedom. A window, of which the width is exactly 
equal to the length of the harp, with tlie sash just raised to give the air ad- 
mission, is a proper situation. When tiie air blows upon these strings, with 
different degress of force, it will excite diflerent tones of sound ; sometimes, 
the blast brings out all the tones in full concert, and sometimes, it sinks 
them to tlie softest murmurs. See en^ravinoj at the head of tliis article. 



'S24 



VARIETIE-S. 
TO MAXE FRUIT AND FLOWERS GROAV IN WINTER, 



^ Take up the trees, on whicli the fruit grows, by the roots, in the sprint, 
jnst art tiioy put forth theis- huds, taking care -to preserve some of their 
mvn ei.rtJ) abaiit tlie roots. Set them, standing upright, in a cellar, till the 
nil Idle of September, and put them into vessels with an addition of earth; 
then bring them into a stove, takinaf care to moisten the earth around 
them every morning v/itii rain water-, in a quart of which, dissolve the size 
■of a walnut of sal-ammoniac, and about the middle of March the fruit will 
ajDpear. 

TO CONVERt PAPER INTO FRAMES FOR PICTURES. 

For this purpose, a conveniei^t fjuantity of the best sort of white paper 
muit be steeped for two or three d;iys in water, till it becomes very soft; 
tlien,_being reduced by t'le n>ortar and hot water into a thin pulp, it is to 
be laid unou a sieve to dvnw orT its superfluous moisture; after Vv'hich, it 
is to be put intowann water, wberehi a considerable quantity of fresh glue, 
or comimm size, has been disscdved; it may then be placed in moulds, to 
ar^jnnc t]io (ie^;red f-uMre, hnA when takeji out, maybe strengthened as 
occasi-n re(|Uiies, vvi'li {:iuct.^r or i;mistened chalk, and when dry, painted 
■oj- oseiia;u-, 

TO TAKE THE i:r PllF. SSI ON OF BUTTERFLIES ON PAPER. 

Clip tlie wings of the l)ul fertlies ; ]ay them upon clean paper in the form 
€-i liie insect vviien ikying. Spiead some pure thick gum-water on another 
piece ol paper, press it on tlie wings, anl it vvij] take them up ; lav a jiiece 
of white paper over it, and rub it gently witii your fmger, or the smooth 
handle of a knltk The -bodies are to be drav,n in the space whicii vou leave 
'between the wings. 

THE DEAF MADE TO HEAR.. 

Procure a stringed instrument, witli a neck of some length, as a lute, a 
guitar, or the like ; and, before you begin to piav, you must,1)y signs, direct 
the deaf man to take hold, widi his teeth, of the end of the neck of the instru- 
ment; th.en, if you strike ti^e strin-s vNitli the bow one a.fter anotJier, the 
.sound will enter t!ie <lea(" man's nviud:., and be conveyed to tlie (ngan of 
hearing tlirough the ludc Ja the paht^- and thus the deaf man will hear, 
vyith a great deal of pleasme, the s(vjnd of the instrument, as has been several 
times experienced; nay, those who are not deaf may make the experiment 
•upon themselves, by sto|-ping their ears, so as not to hear the instrument in 
the usual way, and then holaing tiie end ui' the instrument in their teeth, 
while anf.'ther touches the .strio^-i- 



VARIETIES. 



225 




THE HYDROMETER. 

The hydrometer is an instrument to measure the degrees of dryness 
or moisture of the atmosphere. There are various kinds oi* hydrometers ; 

for whatever body either swells or 
shrinks by dryness or moisture, is ca- 
pable of being formed into an hydrom- 
eter ; such are woods of most kinds, 
particularly ash, deal, poplar, &c. The 
following is the most lasting and con- 
venient mode of constructing an instru- 
ment of this description : — Take a 
very nice balance, and place in it a 
sponge, or other body which easily im- 
bibes moisture, and let it be in equilib- 
rio with a weight hung at the other 
end of the beam. If the air become 
moist, the sponge, becoming heavier, will preponderate ; if dry, the sponge 
will he raised up. This balance may be contrived two ways, by either hav- 
ing the pin in the middle of the beam, with a slender tongue, a foot and a 
half long, pointing to the divisions of an ai'ched plate, fitted to it ; or the 
other extremity of the beam may be so long, as to describe a large arch on 
a board placed for the purpose. 

To prepare the sponge, it may be necessary to wash it in water, and^ 
when dry, in water or vinegar, in which sal-ammoniac, or salt of tartar, has 
been dissolved, and let it dry again ; then it is fit to be used. The instru- 
ment can be hung against a wall ; and, in that case, a bit of steel, as at A, 
should be placed before the needle, to keep it straight. 

THE AWN OF BARLEY HYDROMETER. 

The awn of barley is furnished with stiff points, which, like the teeth of 
a saw, are all turned toward the lesser end of it ; as it lies upon the ground, 
it extends itself in the moist night air, and pushes forward the barley-corn, 
which it adheres to in the day ; it shortens as it dries ; and as these points 

i prevent it from receding, it draws up its pointed end ; and thus, creeping 
ike a worm, will travel many feet from the parent stem. That very inge- 
nious mechanic philosopher, Mr. Edgewortli, once made, on this principle, a 
wooden automaton ; its back consisted of soft fir-wood, about an inch square, 
and four feet long, made of pieces cut the cross-way in respect to the fibres 
of the wood, and glued together; it had two feet before, and two behind, 
which supported the back horizontally ; but were placed with their extremi- 
ties, which were armed with sharp points of iron, bending backward. 
Hence, in moist weather the back lengthened, and the two foremost feet were 



226 VARIETIES 

pushed forward ; in dry weather, the hinder feet were drawn after, as tlie 
obliquity of the points of the feet prevented it from receding. 

SUBSTITUTE FOR A COPYING MACHINE. 

Write with common ink, in which kimp sugar has been dissolved— four 
scruples, or one and a half drachm of sugar to one ounce of ink. Moisten 
copying paper, by passing a soft wet brush over it; then press it gently be- 
tween soft cap paper, so as to absorb the superabundant moisture. Put 
this moistened paper upon the writing, and both between some smooth soft 
paper, placing the whole within the folds of a carpet, when by pressure, a 
correct copy will be obtained. 

TO PRESERVE ROSES TILL CHRISTMAS. 

When roses are budding and blooming is the time to lay by a treat for 
Christmas. Select from your rose-trees such buds as are just ready to blow ; 
tie a piece of thin thread round the stalk of each ; do not handle the bud or 
the staik ; cut it from the tree with the stalk two or three inches in length ; 
melt sealing-wax, and quickly apply it to the end of the stalk; the wax 
should be only so warm as to be ductile ; form a piece of paper into a cone- 
like shape, wherein place the rose ; screw it up so as to exclude the air ; do 
so by each ; put them into a box, and the box into a drawer ; all which is 
intended to keep them free from air. On Christmas-day, or on any other 
day in winter, take them out, cut off the ends of the stalks, place them in 
a flower-pot or bottle, with lukewarm water, or, if in a heated room, tlie 
water may be cold ; in two or three hours, they will blow, retaining all 
their fragrance as in the meridian of summer. 

MAGNIFICENT CRYSTALS. 

A solution of the salt to be crystallized is to be slowly evaporated to such 
a consistency that it shall crystallize upon cooling, which may be known bj 
letting a drop of it fall on a plate of glass. When it is in this state, set it 
by; and pour into a flat-bottomed vessel the liquid part of the solution, when 
cold, from ofl" the mass of crystals which will be formed at the bottom of it. 
After a few days, solitary crystals will be formed, which will gradually in- 
crease in size. Pick out the most regular of these, put them into another 
flat-bottomed vessel, and pour over them a fresh solution of the salt evapo- 
rated, till it crystallize on cooling. After this, alter the position of every 
crystal, once a day, with a glass rod, so that all the faces of it may be alter- 
nately exposed to the liquid, as the face on which the crystal rests nevey 
receives any increment. By this process, the crystals will gradually in- 
crease in size. When they are so large, that their forms can be easily dis- 
tinguished, take the best of them, and put each into a vessel separately | 



VARIETIES. 227 

rtild a fresh solution of the salt, as before directed, and turn every crystal 
several times a-day. By this treatment, you may obtain them almost oiauy 
size desired. It is necessary to pour off the liquid from tiie crystals, and add 
fresh liquid m its place, very frequently ; as the solution, after depositing a 
certain portion of its salts, becomes weakened, and then attacks the ciystals, 
lounding off their angles, in the first place, as an attentive observer may 
) erceive, and infallibly destroying them, unless renewed. By a little dex- 
teiity, a regular crystal of alum may be thus obtained. 

CRYSTALLIZATION UPON CINDERS. 

Saturate water, kept boiling with ahim ; then set tlie solution in a cool 
place, suspending in it by a hair or fine silk thread, a cinder ; as the solu- 
tion cools, a beautiful crystallization will take place upon the cinder, which 
will resemble a specimen of mineralogical spar. 

TO PRODUCE VARIOUS FLOWERS FROM ONE STEM. 

Scoop the pitli from a small twig of elder ; split it lengthways, and fill 
eaxh of the parts with seeds that produce flowers of different colors. Sur- 
roimd them with earth, and then tying the two bits of wood, plant the whole 
in a pot filled with earth. The stems of the different flowers will thus be so 
incoi'porated, as to exhibit to the eye only one stem, throwing out branches 
covered with flowers analogous to the seed which produced them. By se- 
lecting the seeds of plants which germinate at the same period, and which 
are nearly similar in regard to the texture of their stems, an intelligent per- 
son may obtain artificial plants exceedingly curious. 

HARLEQUIN INKS. 

Inks, of various colors, may be made in the modes following : they are 
very beautiful, and frequently of considerable utility. For red ink, boil an 
ounce of fine chips of Brazil-wood, in half a pint of water, for a quarter of an 
liour ; add to the decoction, three drachms of gum-arabic, and as much alum 
iis it will dissolve. For blue, diffuse Prussian blue or indigo through strong 
gum-water. For scarlet, dissolve vermilion in gum-water. Inks of other 
colors may be made from a decoction of the materials used in dying-, 
mixLed with a little alum and gum-arabic. 

TO BRONZE PLASTER BUSTS, &C. 

Ap{)ly isinglass size, until no part of the surface become dry or spotted; 
('u^,n, with a brush, go over the whole, observing carefully to remove any 
(if the si/c, while it is yet soft, that may lodge on the delicate or sharp places, 
i\\u\ set the bust aside to dry. Then take a little very thin oil gold-size, and, 
vvith as much of it as will just damp the brush, go over the fignre. ;dl;>wing 
p 2 



228 VARIETIES. 

no more of this size to remain, than what causes it to shine. Set it in a dry 
place, free from smoke ; and after it has remained there forty-eight hom-s, 
the figure is prepared for bronzing. Tlie bronze powder may be had at the 
color shops, of all metallic colors ; it should be dabbed on with a little cot- 
ton wool. After having touched the extremities of the whole figure, let it 
stand another day ; then, with a soft dry brush, rub oif all the loose powder, 
and the figure will resemble the metal which it is intended to represent, and 
possess the quality of resisting the weather. 

TO CUT GLASS. 

Make a small notch, by means of a file, on the edge of a piece of glass; 
then, make the end of a tobacco-pipe, or of a rod of iron of the same size, 
red-hot in the fire; apply the hot iron, or pipe, to the notch, and draw it 
slowly along the surface of the glass in any direction you please ; a crack 
will be made in the glass, and will follow the direction of the iron. Cylin- 
drical glass vessels, such as flasks, may be cut in the middle, by wrapping 
round them a worsted thread dipped in spirit of turpentine, and setting it on 
fire when fastened on the glass. 

THE ECLIPSE GLASS. 

Take a burning glass, or a speciacle-glass that magnifies very much ; hold 
it before a book or pasteboard, twice the distance of its focus, and you Avill 
see the round body of the sun, and the maimer in which the moon passes 
between the glass and the sun, during the whole eclipse. 

TO CALM AGITATED WATER. 

Drop a small quantity of oil into water agitated by the wind ; it will imme- 
diately spread itself with surprising swiftness upon the surface, and the oil, 
though scarcely more than a tea-spoonful, will produce an instant calm over 
a space several yards square. It should be done on the windward side of 
a pond or river, and you will observe it extend to the size of nearly half an 
acre, making it appear as smooth as a looking-glass. One remarkable cir- 
cumstance in this experiment is, the sudden wide and forcible spreading of 
a drop of oil on the surface of the water ; for, if a drop of oil be put upon a 
highly polished marble table, or a looking-glass, laid horizontally, the drop 
remains in its place, spreading very little; but when dropped on water, it 
spreads instantly many feet round, becoming so thin, as to produce the pris- 
matic colors for a C(msiderable space, and beyond them so much thinner, as 
to be invisible, except in its effect of smoothing the waves at a much greater 
distance. It seems as if a repulsion of its particles takes place as soon as it 
touches the water, and so strong as to act on other bodies swimming on the 
water, as straw, leaves, chips, &c. forcing them to recede every way from 
the drop, as from a centre, leaving a large clear space. 



VARIETIES. 229 



ENGRAVING ON EGG-SHELLS. 

Design on the shells any figure or ornament you please, with melted tal- 
low, or any other fat oily substance ; then immerse the eggs in very stiong 
vinegar, and let them remain until the acid has corroded that part of the 
shell which is not covered with the greasy matter, those parts v/ill tlien ap- 
pear in relief, exactly as you have drawn them. 

LAUGHING GAS. 

A few lines on the mode of preparing and administering nitrous oxide 
gtis, or, as it is termed. Laughing Gas, will, we doubt not, prove acceptable 
and interesting. Although not fitted to support life, yet it may be respired 
for a short time, and the effects, produced by it upon the animal frame, are 
its most extraordinary properties. The manner of breathing it is this : the 
nitrous oxide gas, having been previously purified by standing over water, 
is put into a large bladder, or varnished silk bag, having a wide glass tube, 
or a stop-cock with a large bore, affixed to its neck. The bladder is then 
held by the tube in the right hand, the mouth of it being closed by applying 
the thumb, and the nostrils are closed with the left hand ; the air contained 
in the lungs is expelled by a long respiration ; and the tube of the bladder 
bemg instantly applied to the mouth, the gas is breathed from and into tlie 
bladder as long as possible, which, perhaps, will be abcfut two or three 
minutes. The effects differ greatly, according to the constitutions of the 
persons by whom it is respired. In general, however, they are highly 
agreeable. Exquisite sensations of pleasure, — an irresistible propensity to 
laughter, — a rapid flow of vivid ideas, — singular thrilling in the toes, 
fingers and ears, — a strong incitement to muscular motions, — are the ordi- 
nary feelings produced by it. We have read of one gentleman, who, after 
breathing the gas some time, threw the bag from him, and kept breathing 
on laboriously with an open mouth, holding his nose with his fingers, without 
the power to remove them, though perfectly aware of his ludicrous situation ; 
he had a violent inclination to jump over the chairs and tables, and seemed 
so light that he thought he was going to fly. What is exceedingly remark- 
able, is, that the intoxication tlius produced, instead of being succeeded by 
tlie debility subse(iuent to intoxication by fermented liquors, does, on tlie 
contrary, generally render the person wdio takes it cheerful and high-s[)i»'ited 
for the remainder of the day. 

THE COMICAL CARDS. 

The juvenile artist may treat his friends with an hour's merriment by this 
humorous little device, which is effected by drawing, on a number of cards, 
all of one size, a series of grotesque-looking faces, some male, others female, 
with droll head-dresses, night-caps, hats, wig:^. and helmets, naIiIcIi ho may 



230 VARIETIES. 

select from any of the prints or caricatures that fall in his way ; but the 
general compass of the face part should be within about the same space in all 
of them. Then divide each card into three pieces, cutting it across in a line 
just below the eye, and again, across the upper lip; the middle piece will 
be narrower than the upper or lower piece. A box should be provided with 
partitions in it, so as to keep all the parts in their respective classes. The 
cards should be cut straight, so that the pieces of each will fit all the others, 
and ail the tops sliould be of the same width ; all the middles of one width, 
but narrower than the tops, and all the bottoms about the same size as 
the tops. 

An almost endless variety of changes may be obtained, by placing the 
forehead of one card in contact with the nose on a second, and the chin on 
a third. Thus, a laughable effect is produced by putting the red carbun- 
cled nose of a City Alderman under the helmet of a Roman warrior, and 
finishing him below with the kerchiefed neck and shoulders of an old wo- 
man ; or the cap, eyes, and nose of Moll Flaggon over the flowing wig and 
robes of a Judse on a court day. 



THE RIDDLER 



A riddle is not solved, impatient sirs, 

By peeping at its answers in a trice ; — 

When Gordius, the plough-boy King of Phrygia, 

Tied up his implements of husbandry 

In the far-fam'd knot, — rash Alexander 

Did not undo, by cutting it in twain. 

Riddles are by no means of modern origin ; the Spliynx puzzled the 
brains of some of the heroes of antiquity, and even Alexander the Great, as 
it ir< written, made several essays to untie the knot (a practical riddle) with 
which Gordius, tlie Flirygian king, who had been raised from the plough to 
the throne, tied up his implements of liusbandry in the temple, in so intricate 
a manner, that universal monarchy was promised to the man who could 
undo it : after having been repeatedly baffled, he, at length, drew his sword, 
considering that he was entitled to the fulfilment of the proniise, by cutting 
the Gordian knot. 

Charades, Rebusses, Conundrums, &c. are, with many persons, favorite 
occasional fire-side recreations. In the construction of several of them, con- 
siderable ingenuity is displayed ; they are not, in all cases, the production 
of mere witlings and holyday rhymesters; for more than one author of celeb- 
rity, doubtless, in some of those s[)ortive moments when the mind I'elaxes 
from graver pursuits to toy and dally with comparative trifles, has contributed 
his mite toward the great fund of riddles now in circulation. One of the 
most c'cver and best-written among the following collection has been ascrib- 
ed to the pen of the late Lord Byron : — we allude to the lines on the letter 
H (Enigma 1. page 241.) Conundriuns, it must be admitted, are a set of 



232 CHARADES. 

verbal distortions ; but still, these distortions are often so droll as to excite 
mirth. Anagrams, or the letters of a name resolved into any apt phrase, 
were, at one time, considered of great importance ; many of them by no 
means lack humor. A work of thrice this bulk would scarcely contain all 
the Enigmas, Charades, &c. now current : we have, therefore, endeavoured 
to make a judicious selection from the mass. 



CHARADES. 

1. 

My first is a part of the day. 
My second at feasts overflows ; 

In the cottage my whole is oft seen. 
To measure old Time as he goes. 

2. 

A cat does my first, and men drink at my second ; 
My whole is the drift of an argument reckon'd. 

3. 

My first gave us early support. 

My next is a virtuous lass ; 
To the fields if at eve you resort. 

My whole you will probably pass. 

4. 
My first, a native of the ground. 

In English countries much prevails ; 
My next's in every county found, 

My whole was never out of Wales. 

5, 

By candle-light, ladies, my first will appear, 
And the less light the larger it grows ; 

My second few like when applied to the ear. 
Though many my third to the nose. 

6. 
My first nor book nor volume nam'd. 

Contains more leaves tlian most ; 
My next, when certain crops are claim'd. 

Still stalks a numerous host : 



CHARADES. ^33 

My whole — a creeping flower so fair, — 
Regales the eye, and scents the air. 

7. 
My first is to ramble ; my next to retreat : 
My whole oft enrages in summer's fierce heat. 

8. 
My first do all nurses possess. 

And dandle my second upon it ; 
My whole is a part of the dress 

Attached to the cap or the bonnet. 

9. 

My first oft preys upon my second : 
My whole a bitter shrub is reckoned. 

10. 

My first in fruit is seldom rare ; 
My second all relations are : 
My whole is only earthen-ware. 

11. 

My first dreads my second, for my second destroys my first, while many 
delight in my whole. 

12. 

In every hedge my second is, 

As well as every tree ; 
And when poor school-boys act amiss. 

It often is their fee. 
My fire*, likewise, is always wicked, 

Yet ne'er committed sin : 
My total fjr my first is fitted, 

Compos 'd of brass or tin. 

13. 

My first gives protection when robbers invade , 

*' Dear sir, this brown jug," of my second is made : 

My total will show a pedestrian, whose name. 

Unrivalled will stand in the annals of fame ; 

And also a brewer, whose mighty renown 

Has been spread, by his beer, all over the town. 

14. 

Without my first, my second would be undone : 
My whole's a village near Hyde Park and London 



234 CHARADES, 

15. 

My first's a prop, my second's a prop, and my whole's a prop. 

16. 

My first Is in most shops ; 

In every window my second : 
My whole is used for the bed. 

And, in winter, a comfort is reckon'd. 

17. 

My whole is under my second, and surrounds my first. 

IS. 

My first assuages the appetite of a horse, and agonizes the foot of a man ,• 
my second, if made of brick, is good ; Avhen of stone, better ; and, as the 
seaman would say, when wooden, is best of all : my whole is famous for 
its — (but hold ! we must make a charade upon a charade here) — take the 
principal produce of China, a part of the body that is often black, and as 
frequently gray or blue, and a useful domestic bird, — or, rather, the three 
letters whicli, in pronunciation, resemble these things,— and they will 
show for wiiat my whole is famous. 

19. 

My first, if you do, you won't hit; 
My next, if you do, you won't leave it : 
My whole J if you do, you won't guess it. 

20. 

My first we oft lend to each other in turn. 

To borrow it w^ould be excessively droll ; 

My next, near my first you may often discern ; 

In ray first, too, alas ! you'l! perhaps find my whole 

21. 

My first is appropriate ; my second 'tis nine to one if you guess it ; mv 
whole elevates the sole above the earth. 

22. 

My first is always ; 
My second durable ; 
My wliole without end. 

23. 

My first marks time ; uiy secojid spends it ; and my whole tells it. 



CHAR AD 1^5. 2S5 

24. 

My first makes all nature appear with one face ; 
At my second is music and beauty and grace ; 
And if this charade is not easily said. 
My whole you deserve to have thrown at your head* 

25. 
My first is a tree which with cedars will vie. 
My second's the tenderest part of the eye. 
My whole is a fruit which to none will give place. 
For delicate flavour, and exqiusite taste. 

26 

Of my first there is but one in the year : — of my second, but two in the 
;!^orld : — and my whole has every quality of a vegetable, except vegetation* 

27. 
Drink deep of my first i admit me to your second : and let me play 
upon my whole ► 

28. 
My first troubles you in summer : my next is a most careful gji^l^er : my 
whole is no Christian. ? ' 

29. 
If you are ablte to do my first as well as my second can, you will soon be 
a good player at my whole. 

SO. 
My first is an iinportant part of the human frame; a constituent of al? 
bodies, regular or iiTegular; it is sometimes i;i sometimes oti^, sometimes this 
and sometimes that, sometimes one and sometimes the other. My second is a 
common action, — sometimes induced by the iiiuTy of business, sometimes 
by the mere love of pleasure;, it offers economy tire cheapest medicitre, and 
taste the most picturesque scenery ; it is what English ladies like best, and 
Turks like least ; and it may well be said to he fashionable, for it is the go 
throughout the world. My whole is imli-speiTsablc in every city, — yet val- 
uable as it is, it is trampled on by all classes ; all who use it are raised 
above the common track, — yet high and low, rich and poor, great arw.1 
small, unite to destroy it. 

31. 
My first is nf)thing but a name;. 

My serond is more small; 
My whole is of so little fame. 
It has no name at alb 



236 CONUNDRUMS. 

32. 

My first on foreign churches you may greet : 
At home it's seldom found in church, or street ; 
My second oft is used by household care. 
To make old garments fit for folks to wear ; 
My whole may well describe ill-humored folks. 
Who knit their brows at puns, charades, and jokes. 



CONUNDRUMS, 

1. What does a seventy-four gun ship weigh, with all her crew on board, 
just before she sets sail 1 

2. Why is a short negro like a white man 1 

3. Why is the statute book like the Grecian army before Troy 1 

4. Why is your nose like V in civility '? 

5. Why is Virgil's greatest work like a baker '? 

6. What is most like a horse's shoe 1 

7. Who is that lady, whose visits nobody wishes, tliough her mother is 
welcomed by all parties 1 

8. What is that which few like to give away, and yet nobody wishes to 
keep '? 

9. What word is that in the English language, of one syllable, which, by 
tiiking away the two first letters, becomes a word of two syllables'? 

10. Which is the left side of a plum-pudding 1 

11. Why are children at the breast like soldiers on a campaign 1 

12. What thing is that which is lengthened by being cut at both ends 1 

13. Why is a horse in a stable like a tortured criminal 1 

14. What word of five syllables is that, from which, if you take one syl- 
lable away, no syllable remains "? 

15. What burns to keep a secret 1 

16. Why is a stormy, windy day, like a child with a cold in its head 1 

17. What word is that, to which, if you add a syllable, it will make it 
sliorter 1 

18. Why should boiled peas of a bad color be sent to Knightsbridge 1 

19. Where did Noah strike the first nail in the ark 1 

20. Why is a tailor like a woodcock 1 

21. Why is a pack of cards like a garden 1 

22. Why do we all go to bed 1 

23. Why is a lottery-oiiice-keeper like Lord Lyndhuist 1 

24. Why was Titian's fat daugliter, Mary, like William Cobbett 1 



CONUNDRUMS. ^31 

25. If you give a kiss and take a kiss, Avluit does it make 1 

26. In which month do ladies talk least 1 

27. Why is a man who is making cent, per cent, by trade like Ireland 1 

28. Why is a town in Essex like a noisy dog 1 

29. Why is Paris like the letter F 1 

20. What town in Devonshire will denote a woman making a wry 
dice 1 

31. Why is a man sailing up the Tigris, like one putting his father into 
I- snrk'? 

32. Why does the eye resemble a schoolmaster in the act of flogging 1 
33' Why is a room full of married folks like an empty room 1 

34. Why is an angry person like a loaf 1 
So. Why is a placeman like a cobler 7 

36. Why is a peach-stone like a regiment 1 

37. Why is a dwarf's whole suite like i pair of breeches 1 

38. Why is a dancing master like a cook 1 

39. Why is money like a whip 1 

40. Why is a man, who runs in debt, like a clock 1 

41. What question is that to which you must answer *' Yes 1" 

42. If you throw a man out of a window, what does he first fall against 1 

43. Why is an island like the letter T 1 

44. When is a door not a door 1 

45. Why is a bee-hive like a spectator 1 

46. Why is a tale-bearer like a brick-layer '? 

47. Why is a Welshman, on St. David's day, like a foundering vessel 1 

48. What is that which a coach cannot move without, and yet is not of 
the least use to it 1 

49. Why is a man in love like a lobster 1 

50. When is a man over head and ears in debt 1 

51. What is smaller than a mite's mouth 1 

52. Why is the soul like a thing of no consequence 1 

53. Why is a handsome woman like bread 1 

54. What snuff is that, the more of which is taken, the fuller the box is 1 

55. Why is the wick of a candle like Athens 1 

56. Why is a fender like Westminster Abbey 1 

57. Why is Richmond like the letter R 1 

58. Why is a blind beggar often like a wig 1 

59. What fruit is that whose name answers to a busy-body 1 

60. Why is a cat on her hind legs like a waterfall 1 

61. Why is a poor man like a seamstress '? 

62. Why is that which never fails, like a strong knotl 

63. Why are false wings like mushrooms 1 

64. Why is swearing like a ragged coat '? 



£38 CONUNDRUMS. 

65. Why is sealing-wax like a soldier '? 

66. If I buy four books for a penny, and give one of them away, why am 
I like a telescope 1 

67. Why is a man led astray like one governed by a girl 1 

68. Why is a clergyman's horse like a king 1 

69. What is that which makes every one sick but those who swallow it 1 

70. What kin is that child to its own father who is not its father's own sonl 

71. What is that which is often brought to table, always cut, and never 
^ten 1 

72. Why is a dejected man like one thrown from a precipice 1 

73. Why is a Jew in a fever like a diamond 1 

74. Why are fixed stars like pens, ink, and paper '? 

75. Why is a jest like a fowl 1 

76. Why is a man in a garret committing murder like a good man 1 

77. What relation is your unc'e's brother to you who is not your uncle 1 

78. Why should ladies wringing wet linen remind us of going to church 1 
« 79. What is that which lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with 
its root upward '? 

80. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory 1 

81. Why is a man walking to a town like one endeavouring to prevent 
a blow 1 

82. Why is the sun like a man of fashion '? 

83. Which is the heaviest, a bargeman or a lighterman 1 

84. Why is a blacksmitli's apron like a duenna 1 

85. Why is a lady embraced like a pocket-book 1 

86. What step must I take to remove the letter A from the alphabet 1 

87. Why are there three objections to a glass of spirits 1 

88. Why do cats see best in the dark 1 

89. A man would drink a glass of wine, and not let it go down his throat 
— how could he do it '? 

90. Why is a man beating a boy for telling a falsehood, like another 
playing on a certain musical instrument 1 

91. Why is a cook like a barber'? 

92. Why is a man opening oysters like Captain Cook firing on the savages'? 

93. A former meeting Jack Ketch, asked him the difference between 
their occupations, which he gave in one word : — wliat is that word '? 

94. What is that which is always invisible, yet never out of sight 1 

95. Why is Alderman B's belly like the street he lives in '? 

96. Why is the devil riding on a mouse like one and the same thing *? 

97. Why is a pair of trowsers, too big every way, like two populous 
towns in France 1 

98. What word in the English language expresses the following question, 
— " Are you a reserved man '?" 



CONUNDRUMS. 239 

99. Why Is a waiter like a race-horse 1 

100. Why is a dandy like a haunch of venison ? 

101. Tom went out, and his dog with him, he went not before, behind, 
nor on one side of him : — then where did he go 1 

102. Why is a madman like two men 1 

103. What is a man like that is in the midst of a river and can't swim 1 

104. Why is a lady curling her hair like a housebreaker 1 

105. Why is a lady in her shift like Amsterdam 1 

106. Why is a fish-hook like a badger 1 

107. Why is a man in a fever like a burning candle 1 

108. Why is your hat, when it is on your head, like a giblet-pie 1 

109. A carpenter made a door, but it was too large ; he cut it, and cut 
It too little ; he cut it again, and made it just fit. 

110. Why is a good story like a parish bell 1 

111. Why is Chancery Lane like your eye 1 

112. What most resembles a cat in a hole 1 

113. If a man sham hanging himself, why does he resemble a conjuror 1 

114. In what place did the cock crow, when all the world could hear 
him'? 

115. Why does a brunette's face resemble a wet day 1 

116. You are requested to ask the following question in one word :— ^ 
•*Are you the person '?" 

117. Why is a man moping from morning till night like a favorite 
clown 1 

118. What animal is that, who, in the morning, goes upon four legs ; in 
the afternoon, upon two ; and in the evening upon three 1 

119. Why is a conundrum like a monkey 1 

120. Why is Mr. McAdam like one of the seven wonders of the world 1 

121. What smells most in a doctor's shop 1 

122. What do we all do when we first get into bed 1 

123. What is the weight of the moon 1 

124. Why is St. Paul's like a bird's nest 1 

125. Why do pioneers march at the head of regiments 1 

126. What river is that which runs between two seas 1 

127. What sea would make the best bed- room 1 

128. What words are those which we often see in a pastry-cook's slwp 
window, which a person afflicted with hydrophobia would use in describing 
Uis malady '? 

129. When is the river Thames good for the eyes '? 

130. Why has a glass-blower more comtnand over the alphabet than any 
other man '? 

131. What is that which you would say to a short boy, and which names 
a trade 1 



240 CONUNDRUMS. • 

132. Why is a speech delivered on the deck of a man-of-war like a 
lady's necklace 1 

133. Why is a lady in a sedan like the equator 1 

134. Why is a tallow-chandler the most vicious and unfortunate of men 1 

135. Why is Ireland likely to become very rich 1 

136. Why is a Chinese city like a man looking through a key hole 1 

137. Why is Liverpool like benevolence '? 

138. What two letters make a county in Massachusetts 1 

139. Why is the Prince of Wales like a cloudy day 1 

140. Did you ever see the elegy on a Turkey 1 

141. The figures representing my age, are what you ought to do in all 
things. How old am 1 1 

142. What foreign letter makes the title of a noble lady 1 

143. Why is London like the letter E 1 

144. Why is a good tavern like a bad one 1 

145. Why is an angry man like a lady in full dress 1 

146. Why is a thread-bare coat and a person too soon awakened, Bimilar 
to each other 1 

147. Why are deep sighs like long stockings 1 

148. What occupation is the «un 1 

149. Why are your eyes like stage-horses '? 

150. Why are your teeth like verbs 1 

151. Why is a tattler unlike a mirror 1 

152. Why is an andiron like a yard stick 1 

153. What word makes you sick, if you leave out one of its letters 1 

154. Why is A like a honeysuckle 1 

155. Why is gooseberry pie like counterfeit money 1 

156. What word of ten letters can be spelled with jSve 1 

157. What class of people have a name, which means " I can't improve '?" 

158. Why is a man who walks over Charlestown bridge, like one who 
says, " Yes 1" 

159. What plant is the name of a fop and a wild beast 1 

160. Why should red-haired men be chosen for soldiers 1 

161. What is higher and handsomer when the head is off? 

162. Why is the letter D like a sailor 1 

163. If the alphabet were invited out to dine, what time would U, V, W, 
X, Y, and Z go '? 

1C4. Why is the letter G like the sun'? 

165. Why is Mr. Tuft's brewery like a Jewish tavern 1 

166. Why is a theological student like a merchant 1 

167. Why is a palm-tree like a clironologer '? 

168. Why is a man on horse-back like difiiculties overcome'? 

169. Why is a person atllicted witli the rheumatism, like a glass window 1 



ENIGMAS. 241 

170. Decline Ice cream. 

171. From what motive does a fisherman blow his horn in the market 1 

172. How can you take one from nineteen, and leave twenty 1 

173. Which side of a pitcher is the handle '? 

174. Why is a furnace for powder like the letter S 1 

175. Spell Elder-blow tea, with four letters. 

176. Why is a little green musk-melon like a horse 1 

177. Why is an industrious girl like a very aged woman 1 

178. Why are Protestants like flies 1 

179. Why was the Irish riot, at South Boston, like General Washington 1 

180. Why is a tailor like one who resides in the suburbs of a city 1 

181. Spell the Archipelago in three letters '? 

182. If the letter D were never used more, why would it be like a dead 
manl 

183. Why is grass like a mouse '? 

184. Why do white sheep furnish more wool than black ones 1 

185. According to the laws of retaliation, what right have you to pick 
a painter's pocket 1 

186. What two species of falsehood are in the last novel by the author 
of Redwood 1 

187. Why has Mr. Timothy More, since he lost his hair, become like 
one of our southern cities 1 

188. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory 1 

189. A backgammon table contains the garden of Eden ; does it not "? 

190. Describe a cat's clothing botanically 1 

191. Why are the eye-brows like mistakes I 

192. Why should there be a marine law against whispering 1 

193. What kind of portrait can you spell with three letters 1 

194. What river in England is what naughty girls do "? 

195. Why is an Irishman turning over in the snow like a watchman 1 

196. How can a man live eighty years, and see only twenty birth days 1 



ENIGMAS. 

1. 

'Twas whispered in heaven, 'twas mutter 'd in hell, 
And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell ; 
On the confines of earth 'twas permitted to rest, 
And the depths of the ocean its presence confess'd ; 
Twill be found in the sphere, when 'tis riven asunder : 
'Tis seen in the lightning, and heard in the thunder ; 
o 



242 ENIGMAS. 

'Twas allotted to man from his earliest breath, 
It assists at his birth, and attends him in death ; 
Presides o'er his happiness, honor, and health. 
Is the prop of his house, and the end of his wealth; 
In the heap of the miser 'tis hoarded with care. 
But is sm-e to be lost in his prodigal heir ; 
It begins every hope, every wish it must bound ; 
It prays with the hermit, with monarchs is crown'd ; 
Without it the soldier and seaman may roam, 
But wo to the wretch that expels it from home ; 
In the whispers of conscience 'tis sure to be found. 
Nor e'en in the whirlwind of passion is drown'd ; 
'Twill soften the heart, though deaf to the ear, 
'Twill make it acutely and constantly hear ; 
But, in short, let it rest ; like a beautiful flower, 
(Oh ! breathe on it softly,) it dies in an hour. 
2. 
In a garden there strayed 
A beautiful maid. 
As fair as the flowers in the morn ; 
The first hour of her life 
She was made a wife. 
And she died before she was born. 
3. 
Without a bridle or a saddle. 
Across a thing I ride a-straddle, 
And those I ride, by help of me. 
Though almost blind, are made to see 

4. 
I've seen you where you never were, 

And where you ne'er will be ; 
And yet within that very place. 
You shall be seen by me. 

5. 
A shining wit pronounced, of late. 
That every acting magistrate 
Is water in a freezing state. 

6. 
Form'd long ago, yet made to-day, 

Employ'd while others sleep ; 
What few would ever give away, 
Or any wish to keep. 



ENIGMAS. 243 

7. 

A word of four syllables seek till you find, 

That has in it the twenty-four letters combin'd 

8. 
Form'd half beneath and half above the earth. 
We, sisters, owe to art a second birth ; 
The smith's and carpenter's adopted daughters, 
Made on the earth to travel o'er the waters. 
Swifter we move, as tighter we are bound. 
Yet neither touch the water, air, nor ground. 
We serve the poor f^r use, the rich for whim, 
Sink when it rains, and when it freezes, swim. 

9. 

I'm rough, I'm smooth, I'm wet, I'm dry; 
My station low, my title high ; 
The king my lawful master is ; 
I'm us'd by all, though only his. 

10. 

There is a thing was three weeks old, 

Wiien Adam was no more ; 
This thing it was but four weeks old. 

When Adam was fourscore. 

11. 

We are two brothers, born together, who seldom touch the earth, though 
we often go to the ground ; although we never eat fodder, buy, sell, or bai*- 
ter, we may be said to be interested in the corn laws. 

12. 

Never still for a month, but seen mostly at night. 
13. 
In spring, I am gay in my attire ; in summer, I wear more clothing than 
in spring; in winter, I am naked. 

14. 

In camps about the centre I appear : 
In smiling meadows seen throughout the year ; 
The silent angler views me in llie streams, 
And all must trace me in their morning dreams ; 
First in each mob conspicuous I stand. 
Proud of the lead, and ever in command ; 
Q 2 



244 ENIGMAS. 

Witliout my power no mercy can be shown. 

Or soft compassion to their hep.rts be known ; 

Each sees me in himself, yet all agree 

Their hearts and persons liave no chann for me ; 

The chemist proves my virtue upon ore. 

For, touch'd by me, he changes it to more. 

15. 

I am a character well known in England ; and there are few, either high 
or low, rich or poor, but know my name and qualifications. As I confess 
myself a stranger to beauty and innocence, in the fair sex I can never ap- 
pear. I avoid towns and cities, and commonly take my abode towards the 
extremity of a village. In respectable society I am never admitted, but in 
a gang of gypsies or beggars make a principal figure ; and without me 
smuggling would be nothing. I cannot well show my face in day-time, but 
late in the evening, or middle of night I appear, and always in disguise. 
I am fond of gaming, thougl must own, whatever company I am in, never 
fail to end in cheating and plundering. It is the opinion of Burn and Black- 
stone, that I should always be put in jail : but, be that as it may, my fate is 
certainly not to be there at present. From the character I have given of 
myself, and the company I keep, you may suppose me some thief or pick- 
pocket ; but, as a proof that I am neither, I delight not in a crowd ; and, as 
a further hint, I no sooner appear before one, than it is instantly gone. 

16. 

I am rough, smooth, hard, soft, long, short, round, flat, oval, square, or 
oblong Am now honored with the grasp of a monarch, and now in the 
hand of him who executes the meanest office. I possess the art of pleasing 
in a very eminent degree. Am now the delight of the idle beau, and now 
assist the skilful artist. My station is ever varying : I am now thrown care- 
lessly in a corner, now put into the mouth, now in the pocket, and now under 
the grate. I will only add, that every room is indebted to me for its chief 
ornament. 

17. 

I am no monarch, but am superior to all of them, except the Pope ; I have 
no noble blood in my veins, yet the meanest of my family has precedence 
over the heads of others ; I wear no sword, but in my evening walks often 
meet and beat those that do ; indeed, I have fought more battles, and gained 
more victories, than all the conquerors and heroes recorded in history, from 
the beginning of the world. Sometimes my army has been defeated ,* yet, 
in that part of the action where I fought myself, the enemy has always sub- 
mitted, when I carry off my prisoners under an armed band, dressed in the 
French uniform, and sometimes adorned with gold and precious stones, to an 



ENIGMAS. 245 

apartment where no eye was ever suffered to intrude. Perhaps you will 
tliink me a ghost, or at least a conjuror, if I tell you, that to-day I am in a 
thousand places at once, and to-morrow (as far as you know) I am nowhere ; 
now I am in a room, soon after I am not there ; again I appear, yet the 
doors and windows are all shut. With all this dignity, valor, and address, 
'tis no wonder, if, like other military beaux, I am a great favorite with the 
ladies ; as soon as they see me, they embrace me with delight, but are very 
cautious of keeping our connexion a profound secret ; yet such is the ca- 
priciousness of the sex, that in a little time they discover it themselves, and 
part from me with as much pleasure as they met me. However, this sepa- 
ration is no disgrace ; for they hope to have me again, and count me their 
highest honor ; should I decline visiting them for a whole night, even the 
proudest heart would be discomposed ; and the more violent and indiscreet 
would utter their displeasure in complaints to their neighbours : but this at- 
tachment is no wonder, for, like themselves, my countenance is sometimes a 
lively mixture of the lily and the rose ; like them, too, I am changeable, 
and, in the space of a few minutes, grow black in the face ; yet my conse- 
quence is not lessened, but sometimes increased j and, in a little time, I 
generally resume my former complexion. 

It may be of some advantage to me with the ladies, that I sometimes re- 
semble that part of their dress, of which they are most vain ; and, at other 
times, that part, the obtaining of which is the end for which they dress, and 
the object of their wishes. Let these ladies look to their own bosoms to 
discover me, but in an open manner; for no trick oj)posed to me ever 
succeeded, and I believe none ever will. 

18. 
He that in music takes delight. 
And he that sleeps secure by night, 
And he who sails too near the land. 
And he that's caught by law's strong hand; 
He who his time in taverns spends. 
And he that courts of law attends ; 
He that explains heraldic signs. 
And he that works in silver mines, — 
Are all acquainted well with me : 
My name you surely now must see . 

19. 

In Sir Walter Scott's celebrated poem, called " Mannion," are thefeU 
louring lines : 

" Charge, Chester, charge ! On, Stanley, on ! 
Were the last words of Marmion." 



246 REBUSSES. 

These lines have occasioned the following enigma : 

Were I in noble Stanley's place. 
When Marmion urged him to the chase. 
The word you then might all descry, 
Would bring a tear to every eye. 

20. 
A lady m prison received an animal as a present from her niece, which 
signified to her " Make your escape ;" in reply she sent back a fruit which 
imported " It is impossible to escape." What was the animal, and what 
was the fruit 1 



REBUSSES. 

1. 

To three-fourths of a cross, add a circle complete ; 
Then, let two semi-circles a perpendicular meet ; 
Next add a triangle that stands on two feet ; 
Then, two semi-circles, and a circle complete. 

2. 

A hundi'ed and fifty, if rightly applied. 
To a place where the living did once all reside, 
Or a consonant joined to a sweet singing bird, 
Will give you a name that you've oftentimes heard ; 
Which 'mong your friends, at least, one person owns, 
It's the rival of Smith, and as common as Jones. 

3. 

A numeral, a pronoun, and a syllable that, in sound, resembles the neigh- 
ing of a horse, will compound that, without which, even a palace would 
prove an uncomfortable habitation. 

The following are Rebusses on the Names of London Performers. 

4. What Roman Catholics reverence. 

5. The head of a monastery. 

6. One of the tallest productions of natiure. 

7. A color and a vowel. 

8. A king of England and a consonant. 

9. A word synonymous witli sharp. 

10. What we all stand upon, and a vowel. 



REBUSSES. 247 

11. A famous French dancer. 
^ 12. One-fourth of what a lover gives his mistress, a measure, and a 
vowel. 

13. A measure, a vowel, and four-fifths of a weight used in Smithfield. 

14. A numeral, the French for A, and the refuge of a wild beast. 

15. The usual distinction of a Scotch name, and what we should always 
be to do a good action. 

16. The fourth of a sovereign, and five-sevenths of an age of terror. 

17. A female Christian name, and three-fourth of the reverse to soft. 

18. A trade. 

19. A word implying distance, and three-fourths of a small bird 

20. A preparer of eatables and a vowel. 

21. An exclamation of the ghost in Hamlet, and a preposition 

22. A vowel, and four-fifths of the safe-guards of a prison. 

23. A consonant, and a portion of the earth. 

24. A production of the pastry-cook. 

25. Four-sixths of traffic, and a liquid made with pearl-ash. 

26. A Hebrew measure. 

27. A tool used to take off coach-wheels. 

28. A famous river on the continent, and what we all wish to be. 

29. What most young ladies try to obtain, preceded by a consonant. 
SO. An abbreviation for Harry, part of the earth, and a vowel. 

31. An Irishman's nick-name, and the reverse to ofi". 

32. Two thirds of a lively color, and the mother of mankind. 

33. An English city : or, a box, and two-thirds of to do wrong. 

34. What we rub our feet on, and what the woodman does when he cuts 
down a tree. 

35. One of the points of the compass. 

36. A fruit, and what your father is, and your mother is not. 

37. The initials of his majesty, two-thirds of what the inhabitants of Bed- 
lam are, and a Spanish title. 

38. Four-fifths of the earth in a dead language, and the penultimate let- 
ter of the alphabet. 

39. Part of a ship, and two-thirds of an eye. 

40. What the ambitious wish to possess. 

41. Part of a lock, and a vowel. 

42. Half of a foreign country, and what shopkeepers buy for. 

43. A measure, and the middle of a hare. 

44. A city that was mistress of the world, and a rough consonant. 

45. 

Take a word that's composed of three letters alone. 
The initial then change thirteen times, all but one ; 



248 REBUSSES. 

Thirteen words will appear, though all ending- the same. 

As various in sense, as they can be in name. 

First a place must be found, where brave tars oft retreat. 

When the wind, in a storm, makes the waves o'er them beat ; 

The first letter exchange, as a song 'twill appear ; 

Then exchange it again, 'tis a part of the year ; 

Now it's lively and brisk, the next place to possess ; 

Then gives name to a pole^ in its holyday dress ; 

Next the produce of earth, when for food 'tis prepared ; 

Then a chattering thing, to a magpie compared ; 

For brightness and glory, now see it far famed ; 

Whatsoe'er I allege, the next word will be named ; 

A denial, alas ! too, it sometimes must be ; 

May it never be so, when the next's due to me ; 

A famed Scottish river, its assistance must lend ; 

Last, a road's to be found, bringing us to the end. 

46. 

8ince,gentle reader, in this ourRiDDLER, thou hastoften seen represented 
various characters, — the grave and gay, the lively and severe, — lo ! now 
V. e lead thee to a gallery, where poets and philosophers, high famed m clas- 
tic page, stand ranged before thy admiring view. Full fifteen hundred 
years have now elapsed, since on the world these luminaries shone. Survey 
ihem closely; scan their history; avoid their faults, and emulate their 
virtues. 

Behold that figure, reeling like a Bacchanal ! — See how his swollen eyes 
and bloated cheeks bespeak the temper of his body. Hark I — he recites an 
ode : the honied strains drop from his pen, while reason holds possession of 
his mind ! — How sweet, how elegant the poetry! — But, alas ! his subject 
and his state too well agree. Ah ! shame to see such talents so abused. 

Next view the Samian Sage : observe his stature : — every joint and 
every limb denotes the strength that he possesses : — but could his mind 
be seen by mortal eye, 'twould seem still more gigantic. Observe his 
dress ; how simple ! — Humility his garb, and modesty his chief adornment T 
Although his friends would willingly have called him "the Wise Man," — 
that title he refused ; and chose the appellation of" the Friend of Wisdom. "^ 
But, great as was this teacher, a little child, in this most happy and en 
lightened land, might teach him wisdom that he ne'er could reach. 

But, lo ! the Theban General appears, laden with spoils, his brows full 
crowned with laurel, and his garments red with the slaughter of the van- 
quished foe. What field has witnessed this great concjuest, and who are the 



EEBUSSES. 249 

safFerers 1 Leuctra beheld the fate of Spartans sons, and streams of blood 
defiled her pleasant plains. 

Behold Eanomus' son, the Sage of Lacedsemon, His lowering aspect 
and contracted brows seem indications of the sanguinary disposition of his 
mind. His laws forbade the use of gold and silver, and substituted iron :— . 
so far 'twas good, to stop the progress of voluptuousness, and obviate tempta- 
tions to dishonesty ; — but Nature shrinks, and Cruelty herself draws back 
with horror, when she beholds infants, unstained with any actual crimes, 
doomed by unbending policy to premature destruction. 

Next view the Spartan Sculptor. The rumor of his skill had reached the 
ears of " Philip's warlike son :" the conqueror of the world forbade any 
other hand to carve his martial features on the stone. In the great Augustan 
age, his statues' worth was rated at their weight in gold. 

But see the Poet of Salamis; whose natal day was ushered in with shouts 
of victory, and with songs of triumph : — when Xerxes and his numerous 
host sustained a dire defeat, and felt the punishment so justly due to pride 
and to ambition. No warrior he, yet did his magic verse obtain the freedom 
of those Greeks, who groaned beneath the Syracusan bondage. 

Now, to complete this "motley group," see, tripping " on the light fantas- 
tic toe," a sprightly Damsel. Famed Lesbos gave her birth; but she^ 
more famed for beauty and for wit, has far excelled her sex in poetry. The 
happy verse in which her numbers flowed, still bears her name. But, alas ! 
her breast became the seat of every passion : and thence flowed the poison 
that tainted all her compositions : — else were that judgment just, that ranked 
her among the Muses. 

Here, reader, pause ; and call to mind these names ; of each then take the 
initials, and in due order range them. Then will appear the Ephesian 
Artist ; whose excelling skill has far surpassed the united brilliancy and 
majesty of Rubens and of Raphael. 

47. 

Find the thing by Pandora entail'd on mankind. 
When, on opening her box, only Hope staid behind : 
Let this word stand entire, and before it prefix 
Initials fifteen, but no letter e'er mix : 
Thus by changing the head, as the principal part. 
You may render it various as nature and art : 
First I find it form part of a bird in the air ; 
Then examine a fish, and as sure find it there ; 
As an eminence now it will rear up its head ; 
Then the last deed of man, as is commonly said ; 



250 REBUSSES. 

As a farmer's employment it next will appear ; 
And a thing to your door you will find very near ; 
What the doctors oft give, to relieve us firom pain ; 
And a plant we now look for in gardens, in vain; 
What I bid my friend do when I give him a toast ; 
And a place much firequented by knights of the Post ; 
A short name that's well known in a nursery song ; 
And what runs through a country for many miles long ; 
What's the aim of a sportsman, pursuing his game ; 
What we style a neat box, or a township's short name j 
And then all your labor will nearly be over. 
And a double head's all you have left to discover. 
For one, being mute, a companion and friend. 
Must forever stand by, its assistance to lend ; 
In revealing what's common to birds and a beast, 
And whose use to us scribblers is none of the least. 

48. 
Reverse a snug apartment, and you'll find 
A dreary marsh presented to your mind. 

49. 
Now to your enigmatic eyes. 
Behold six worthies shall arise, 
From their initials to compound 
A modern poet, much renowned 
First in the list we enter thee, 
Father of English poetry : 
Next thee, of Scotia's bards the first ; 
Thy muse from darkest ages burst 
Next thee, philosopher divine. 
And poet, — all the praise is thine ; 
'Twas thine the sweetest notes to raise 
From David's harp, in British lays : 
Thee, Theban bard, whose rapid fire 
Succeeding ages still admire ; 
While a vain modern, gras})ing fame. 
Profanes thy venerable name : 
Thee next, hypocrisy's great foe. 
An agent in Rome's overthrow. 
When Luther's zeal o'er Europe spread. 
And shook the Antichristian head ; 
Batavia boasts thy worthy name, 
** The priesthood's glory, and its shame :'* 



REBUSSES. 251 

With thee, at last, the verse shall shine, 
The prince of painters, styled " divine ;" 
A sovereign poutiflf knew thy worth, 
And old Urbino claims thy birth. 

50. 

Two letters, expressing profhsion and waste, 
Transposed, show a county to most people's taste. 

51. 

A modern bard of mjiversal fame ; 

A classic river's oft-repeated name ; 

A naval hero dear to ev'ry heart ; 

A ruthless tyrant with a murd'rous dart j 

An English author, famous for his style ; 

A poet who our leisure may beguile : 

Th' initials join, an ancient bard you'll find. 

Who to his verse has left his name behind. 

The following are Rebusses on the Names of Birds 

52. A child's plaything. 

63. What we all do at every meal 

54. A disorder incident to man and horse. 

55. Nothing, twice yourself, and fifty. 

56. What we should always be ready to do to persons fighting, and the 
top of a house. 

57. Equality and decay. 

58. A celebrated English architect. 
69. A tailor's implement. 

60. A lever. 

61. An instrument for raising weights. 

62. Three-eights of a monthly publication, with a baked dish 

63. A valuable species of corn, and a very necessary part of it 

64. A cheated person. 

65. A distant country. 

66. Spoil half a score. 

67. The defence of a bridge. 

68. An instrument of diversion for men and boys. 

69. A piece of wood, and a fashionable name for a street. 

70. To cut off", and a vowel. 

71. A piece of land, and a good thing which it produces. 

72. What we say a person has got when he falls into the water. 

73. An Animal which a Jew must not eat, a vowel, and a preposition. 



£52 



ANAGRAMS. 



74. 

I am found in a jail ; I belong to a fire ; 
And am seen in a gutter abounding in mire : 
Put my last letter third, and then 'twill be found 
I belong to a king, without changing my sound. 



Ye rebus wits. 
Now mind your hits ; 
For your's the task 
My name to unmask : 
A fruit we eat. 
As sauce to meat ; 
And with fish too. 
That wants a gout / 
One letter, pray. 
Take quite away ; 
A point of land 
You'll understand. 



75 



Which sailors dread 
Too near their lead. 
But when embay'd. 
Enjoy its shade : 
One more letter 
Then unfetter, 
The thing that's left. 
When thus bereft. 
Is worn by all. 
Both great and small. 
From king and queen 
To beggar mean. 





ANAGRAMS 




1, 


Ten tea pots. 


20. 


Spare him not. 


2. 


Sly Ware. i 


21. 


Real fim. 


3. 


It's in charity. i 


22. 


In Magic tale. 


4. 


Golden land. j 


23. 


Evil fast. 


5. 


Great helps. \ 


24. 


Yes Milton. 


6. 


Rare mad frolic. i 


25. 


'Tis ye govern. 


7. 


Honor est a Nilo« i 


26. 


See a pug dog. 


8. 


Hard case. i 


27. 


A just master. 


9. 


Claims Arthur's seat. | 


28. 


Made in pint pots 


10. 


No, appear not at Elba. \ 


29. 


A hot pen. 


11. 


No more stars. j 


30. 


I call many sot. 


12. 


O poison Pitt. | 


31. 


A nice Pet. 


13. 


I hire parsons. 


32. 


The bar. 


14. 


Got as a clue. j 


33. 


The law. 


15. 


To love ruin. j 


34. 


Truly he'll see war. 


16. 


Best in prayer. 


35. 


I send into Siam. 


17. 


Nay, I repent it. \ 


36. 


True, I am in. 


18. 


Veto. Un corse la finira. | 


37. 


Hire a prison. 


19. 


Comical trade. i 


\ 38. 


There we sat 



LOGOGRIPH&. 253 



LOGOGRIPHS. 

1. 

A creature was formerly seen in England, which has lately been expelled 
from it, and which has some very peculiar properties appertaining to it. It 
stands upon one leg, — on which, without any body, is seen a great square 
head. It has three eyes, of which the centre is by far the largest ; indeed, so 
much so, that it has before now contained two more. The head is of a 
very peculiar construction, but exactly suited to its design : whenever it is 
about to be used, it is separated in halves, and, when reconnected, is held 
up to the gaze of an insolent rabble. All the notice, however, which it gene- 
rally attracts, results from its being the effectual means of exhibiting an- 
other to the gaze of a hostile crowd. Such is this when entire ; but when 
divided, and cut to pieces, a curious and careful observer may collect all that 
follows, by a selection and appropriate arrangement of its fragments. 

A dose of medicine conveyed in a very agreeable manner, as, however 
nauseous its ingredients may have originally been, it is quite tasteless. Such 
a state of the physical powers as requires such a dose. A part of the face, of 
a color quite different from the rest, and the more handsome, the greater the 
difference. A public record on which many are very anxious to get their 
names entered ; or, to descend from great things to small, a substance that 
is devoured every morning for breakfast. A river which flows through a 
very delightful and agreeable part of Europe. What curious people are 
very fond of doing. What a candidate, for your vote at the next general 
election, if he should think it worth his while, will demand. A very poetical 
portion of the watery element, which murmurs and meanders in the descrip- 
tion of many a poetaster. A quality of resinous substances. A female nick- 
name. What is very necessary to be done occasionally in your shrubbery 
An exclamation of surprise. A flower displaying more to admire than 
Solomon in all his glory. To tear. The expressed juice of olives, — and its 
adjective. A conjunction. And two initial letters, whose reiterated sounds 
have drowned the voices of strutting monarchs and ephemeral heroes. 

2. 

Ye who in mystic lines delight. 
Unveil and bring me forth to light. 
Nor deem me tiresome, if my song 
Should, like myself, prove wondrous long. 
It may perhaps excite your mirth, 
That animals to me give birth ; 
Yet vegetables oftener claim 
The honor to produce the same : 



254 LOGOGRIPHS. 

One time as white as snow I'm seen. 

Another, red, blue, yellow, green ; 

The friendly brown I also wear, 

Or in a sable garb appear : 

The rhetorician owns my power, 

For though well dressed with many a flower. 

His florid speech would gain no praise, 

But, losing me, contempt would raise. 

But now my name you surely know. 

Dissected in the lines below. 

That power to which we all must bend ; 
And wdiat we call a valued friend ; 
A goddess of revengeful fame ; 
And Abram's near relation's name; 
Two articles in common use ; 
And what we oft com.plain of news ; 
A weed which grew upon the plain, 
Suffer'd till harvest to remain ; 
Two quadrupeds will next appear, 
Which both conduce to sport and cheer ; 
A third, a noxious little creature ; 
And what adds charms to simple nature ; 
A fruit ; a color ; and a date 
A firm support of Britain's state ; 
What high, yet low, we wish to be; 
A term for one who goes to sea ; 
One thing another oft put over ; 
Two things by this you may discover, — 
To make my hint somewhat more plain. 
One keeps the other from the rain ; 
The vital spring of every wo ; 
And every pleasure that we know ; 
What's always done whene'er we walk ; 
And what we do when others talk ; 
With what we've done when they give o'er 5 
Two notes in music next explore ; 
What, join'd to home, is sent about. 
As invitation to a rout ; 
What oft we see upon the plain ; 
Two little words denoting pain, 
Or quick surprise, or laughter vain ; 
A sign of sorrow ; mark of spirit ; 
What envy bears superior merit ; 



LOGOGRIPHS. S155 



A fragrant shrub we oft infuse : 
Two pronouns in most frequent use ; 
A passion which the envious feel ; 
A weapon pointed oft with steel ; 
One of the properties of stone ; 
A term for misanthrope well known ; 
What oft in summer months we feel ; 
What aids when secrets you reveal ; 
What sinful deeds should ever be ; 
What's daily done by you and me. 

If all these meanings you expound. 
Just five £ind forty will be found. 

3. 
I was before the world begun, 
Before God made the rising sun ; 
Before He made the lesser lights 
To drive the darkness from the nights 
I'm at the bottom of the sea. 
And I am in immensity ; 
The daily motion of the earth 
Dispels me, and to me gives birth ; 
You cannot see me if you try, 
Although I'm oft before your eye. 
Such is my whole. But for one part 
You'll find in taste I'm ratlier tart ; — 
Now I become th' abode of men, — 
And now for meaner things, a pen ; 
I am a man who lives by drinking, — 
Anon I keep a weight from sinking ; 
To take me, folks go far and near, — 
I am what children like to hear ; 
I am a shining star on high. 
And I'm its pathway through the sky ; 
I take the strength from iron and steel,- 
Am sometimes left behind a wheel ; 
I am a term of due respect, — 
Am used in English to connect ; 
I'm made to represent a head, — 
Am found on every loaf of bread. 
Such are the many forms I take. 
All these, and many more I make ; 
Yet, after all, so strange am I, 
Soon as you know me, then I die. 



25Q LOGOGRIPHS. 

4. 

The man of letters finds me in his books ; 
The angler by the side of babbling brooks; 
The sportsman seeks me with his dog and gun ; 
In foreign lands the traveller thinks I'm won ; 
The spendthrift hopes to buy me with his gold ; 
And childhood has me when a tale is told ; 
The love of me decoys the giddy youth, 
From useful studies, till he learns this truth, 
*' All those who seek me only, most I fly;" 
Lastly, when you my hidden sense descry. 
You'll own^ that for my sake you pondered long 
The countless changes, that to me belong. 
Such am 1 as a whole — ^but for one part, — 
The youth invokes me when he feels love's dart ; 
The Swiss, when exiled from his native vales. 
Hears me with anguish, and his fate bewails; 
New zest I add to scandal's busy hour ; 
And adverse winds and tides confess my power • 
I am the dazzling source whence colors flow ; 
The sluggard's teacher; and your equal now; 
Without me sails were useless ; then a word 
Expressing like ; and now meek woman's lord ; 
To measure next ; anon to add ; to vex ; 
The gentle office of the weaker sex ; 
I'm flesh, not fish — I'm silent ever; 
Sought by all ranks, on eaith found never ; 
Your near relation, and the squirreil's food ; 
What you would keep when in a lazy mood ; 
Neptune's abode; the forest monarch's pride; 
A term to the departed souls applied ; 
What you possess, but others oftener use : 
Your coat must have me, spite of what you choose ; 
Now the soft clime of" the cedar and vine ;" 
And last, a short word importing new wine. 
More could I tell, but I bid you adieu. 
Lest by prating I cause my own loss to yot 



SOLUTIONS 



257 



SOLUTIONS. 



CHARADES. 



1 Hour-glass. 

2 Pur-port, 

3 Milk-maid. 

4 Flint-shire. 

5 Snuff-box. 

6 Wood-bine. 

7 Gad-fly. 

8 Lap-pet. 

9 Worm-wood. 

10 Pip-kin 

11 Fox-chase, 

12 Candle-stick. 

13 Bar-clay. 

14 Hammer-smith, 

15 Foot-stool. 

16 Counter-pane. 

17 Waist-coat^ 



18 Corn -wall, famous for 
TIN (tea-eye -hen.) 

19 Mis-take. 

20 Ear-wig. 

21 Pat-ten. 

22 Ever-lasting, 

23 Watch man, 

24 Snow-ball. 

25 Pine-apple. 

26 May-pole. 

27 Draught-board, * 

28 Heat-hen. 

29 Leap-frog. 

30 Side-Walk. 

31 Name-less. 

32 Cross-patch. 



C-'ONUNDRUMS.. 



1 She weighs anchor. 

2 He's not at all {tall black) black. 

3 It has many laws {MenelausYmii 

4 It's placed between two I's {eyes) 

5 It is ^neid {in-kneed,) 

6 A mare's, 

7 Misfortune (Miss-forhine.) 

8 A bed. 

9 Plague — Ague. 

10 That which is not eaten, 

11 They are in arms. 

12 A ditch. 

13 He is tied to the rack. 

14 Monosyllable — no syllable. 

15 Sealing-wax. 

16 It blows, it snows — (it bloios its 

nose. 

17 Short — shorter. 

18 It is the way to Turnham-Green 

— (turn 'em green ) 

R 



19 On the head. 

20 He has a long bill. 

21 There are spades in it, 

22 The bed will not come to us^ 

23 He is a chance-seller — ( Chan" 

cellor.) 

24 She was a great Polly Titmri — 

(politician.) 

25 A re-bu.'^. 

26 In February, Ijecause it is the 

shortest. 

27 His capital is doubling(2>M6/i?i.) 

28 It is Barking. 

29 It is the capital of France. 

30 Cockermouth (cock her mouth.) 

31 He is going to Bug-dad. 

32 It has a pupil under the lasli, 

33 There is not a single pei^on in il 

34 He is crusty. 

35 He sticks to the last. 



258 



SOLUTIONS. 



36 It has a kernel — (colonel.) 

37 They are small clothes. 

38 He cuts capers. 

39 It makes the mare to go. 

40 He goes on tick. 

41 What does Y,E,S spell 1 

42 Against his inclination, 

43 It is in the midst of water — 

(wa-t-er.) 
4A When it is a-jar — {ajar.) 

45 It is a bee-holder — {beholder.) 

46 He raises stories. 

47 He carries a leak — {leek.) 

48 Noise. 

49 He has a lady in his head. 

50 When he has a hat on that is not 

paid for. 

51 His tongue. 

52 It is immaterial. 

53 She is often toasted. 

54 The snuff of a candle. 

35 It is in the midst of grease — 
( Greece.) 

56 It contains the ashes of the grate 

—{great.) 

57 It is next to Kew — (Q.) 

58 He is cur-led — {curled.) 

59 A medAdiY— {meddler.) 

60 She is a cat erect — {cataract.) 

61 He makes shifts. 

62 It is a certainty — {certain tie.) 

63 They are sham pinions — 

{champignons.) 

64 It is a bad habit. 

65 It often bears arms. 

66 I make a farthing p^jesent — {a 

far thing present.) 

67 He is misled — {miss-led.) 

68 He is guided by a minister 
€9 Flattery. 

70 His daughter. 

71 A pack of cards. 

72 He is down cast. 

73 He is a Jew-ill — (jewel.) 



74 They are stationary — (station* 

ery.) 

75 It contains a merry tliought. 

76 He is above committing a bad 

act. • 

77 Your father. 

78 The belles are wringing (ring- 

ing.) 

79 An icicle. 

80 He is always forgetting — (for 

getting.) 

81 He is going toward it — (to 

ward it.) 

82 It turns night into day. 

83 A bargeman. 

84 It keeps off the sparks. 

85 She is clasped. 

86 By B heading it — {beheadingii} 

87 Because there are tliree scruples 

to a dram. 

88 They eat lights. 

89 By standing on his head and lei- 

ting it go up his throat. 

90 He is striking a liar — (lyre,) 

91 He dresses hare — (hair.) 

92 He's astonishing the natives. 

93 Utility — (you till, I tie.) 

94 The letter I, which is alv/ays in 

visible. 

95 It's widened at the expense of 

the corporation, 

96 He is sin-on-a-mouse — {syno7b» 

ymous.) 

97 Because they are too long and 

too loose — ( Toulon and Tot4- 
louse.) 

98 'R-\x-^\\y{areyoushyl R Ushy,) 

99 He often runs for a plate or a 

cup. 

100 ti:e'sabitofabuck. 

101 On the other side. 

102 He's one beside himself, 

103 Like to be drowned. 

104 She is turning locks. 



SOLUTIONS 



259 



105 She*s in Holland. 

106 It is often baited, 

107 He's light-headed. 

108 There's a goose's head in it. 

109 He cut it too little, i. e. he did 

not cut enough of it. 

110 It often toWed— (told,) 

111 It is near the Temple, 

112 A cat out o-f a hole. 

113 He is a neck-romancer^ — 

(necromancer,) 

114 In Noah's ark. 

115 It is not fair. 

116 R, U, E—(Are you he 1) 

117 He's grim all day ( Grimaldi.) 

118 Man : viz. In the morning of 

his life, on all fours ; in the 
afternoon, on two; and in the 
evening, wi*^h a stick. 

119 It is far-fetched and full of 

nonsense. 

120 He is the colossus of roads^ — 

(Rhodes,) 

121 The nose. 

122 Make an impression. 

123 Four quarters. 

124 It was built by a Wren. 

125 To axe the way, 

126 The Thames, which flows be- 

tween Chelsea and Battersea. 
327 Adriatic — (a dry attic.) 

128 Water-ices and ice-creams — 
(water I sees, and I screams.) 

129 When it is eye-water — (high- 

water,) 

130 Because he can make a D can- 

ter — (decanter.) 

131 Grow, sir ! — (Grocer.) 

132 It is a deck oration— •(£?eco-' 

ration.) ,%' 

133 She is between the poles. 

134 All his works are wicked, and 

all his wicked works jyre 
brought to light. 



135 Because its capital is always 

Dublin (Doubling.) 

136 It is Pekin (Peeking.) 

137 It is founded on Mersey (iliierc^^) 

138 S. X, (Essex.) 

139 He is likely to reign (Rain.) 

140 Did you ever see the 1-e-g on a 

Turkey 1 (Leg,) 

141 I am XL. (Excel.) 

142 Dutch S (Dutchess.) 

143 It is the capital of England. 

144 Both inn convenient. 

145 He is ruffled. 

146 They have lost their nap. 

147 Heigh-hos (high hose.) 

148 A Tanner. 

149 They are always under lashes. 

150 Regular, irregular, and defec- 

tive. 

151 One speaks without reflecting, 

the other reflects without 
speaking, 

152 It has tliree feet. 

153 Blusic. 

154 A bee follows it. 

155 It is not currant (current.) 

156 Expediency (X P D N C E.) 

157 Mendicants (Mend I can't.) 

158 He gives a cent (assent.) 

159 Dandelion (dandy^ — lion.) 

160 They carry firelocks. 

161 A pillow. 

162 It follows the,sea (C.) 

163 They would go after tea (T.) 

164 It is the centre of light. 

il 65 Hebrews drink tliere (He 
brews,) 

166 Both study tlie profits (prophets.) 

167 It furnishes dates, 

168 He is Sir mounted (Surmount- 

ed,) 

169 He is full of pains (Panes.) 

170 I scream, thou screamest, he 

screams. 



260 



SOLUTIONS. 



171 From a selfish motive (iSc/Z^sA) 

172 XIX— XX. 

173 The out-side. 

174 It makes hot shot {Hot s-hot,) 

175 L O O T. 

176 It makes a mango (Man go,) 

177 They are both notable {not able) 

178 They are in sects (insects.) 

179 It was a Pat riot (Patriot.) 

180 He lives on the skirts of the 

town. 

181 E G and C (^3Sgean Sea.) 

182 It would be D-ceased (De- 

ceased.) 

183 The cat' 11 eat h (The cattle 

eat it.) 

184 There are more of them. 

185 He has pictures {Picked yours.) 



186 A hopeless lie ^nd a faithless 

lie (Hope Leslie, and Faith 
Leslie.) 

187 He is bald Tim Moore (Bal- 

timore.) 

188 They are always forgetting 

(For getting.) 

189 Paradise is in it (Pair o' dice.} 

190 Her suit is hairy (In botany the 

word hirsute means hairy.) 

191 They are over sights (over- 

sights.) 

192 It is privateering (private 

earing.) 

193 Effigy (FE G.) 

194 The Tees (tease.) 

195 He is Pat-rolling (Pa^ro/mg-.) 

196 He was born 29th February* 



ENIGMAS. 



1 The letter H. 

2 Eve. 

3 Spectacles. 

4 In a looking-glass. 

5 Justice — (just-ice.) 

6 A bed. 

7 Alphabet. 

8 A pair of skaits. 

9 Highway. 

10 The moon. 

11 The feet. 

12 The moon. 



13 A tree. 

14 Letter M. 

15 Letter G. 

16 Brush. 

17 Ace of Trumps. 

18 Bar. 

19 On-I-on, (onion.) 

20 The animal sent was an ante- 

lope ^(Aunt elope.) The 
fruit returned was a cante- 
lope (CanH elope.) 



REBUSSES. 

1 Tobacco. | 10 Foote. 

5 C-L-ark ; or C-lark, (Clark.) 11 Vestris. 

3 C-him-nev, (Chimney.) 12 Kelley. 

4 Pope. ' 13 EUiston. 

6 Abbot. 14 Munden. 

6 Tree. 15 Macready. 

7 Browne. 16 Kemble. 

8 Stephens. 17 Blanchard. 

9 Kean. * 18 Cooper. 









SOLUTIONS. 261 


19 Farren. 








mill; jiU; rill; kill; vili 


20 Cooke. 








•n 

quill. 


21 Liston. 








48 Room ; moor. 


22 Yates, 








49 Cowper; Chaucer; Ossian 


23 Bland. 








Watts ; Pindar ; Erasmus 


24 Bunn. 








Raphael. 


25 Bartley. 








50 X S : S X.^ 


26 Cubitt. 








51 Pope ; Ilissus ; Nelson 


27 Wrench. 








Death ; Addison ; Rogers 


28 Powell. 








Pindar. 


29 Glover. 








52 Kite. 


80 Hallande, 








53 SwalloAv 


31 Baton. 








54 Thrush. 

55 OWL. 


32 Reeve. 








33 Chester. 








56 Partridge. 


34 Matthews. 








57 Parrot. 


35 West. 








58 Wren. 


36 Pearman. 








59 Goose. 


37 Graddon, 








60 Crow. 


38 Terry. 








61 Crane. 


39 Keetley, 








62 Magpie. 


40 Power. 








63 Wheatear. 


41 Warde, 








64 Gull. 


42 Russell, 








65 Turkey. 


43 Ellar. 








66 Marten. 


44 Romer, 








67 Starling. 


45 Bay; lay; 


day; 


gay; 


May; 


68 Bat. 


liay; jay; 


ray; 


say; 


nay ; 


69 Sparrow. 


pay ; Tay 


; way 






70 Snipe. 


46 Anacreon ; 


Pyth 


igoras 


; y^P- 


71 Fieldfare. 


aminondas 


; Lycurgus 


: Ly- 


72 Duck. 


sippus ; Euripides ; 


Sap- 


73 Pigeon. 


pho ; Apelles. 






74 Grate ; great. 


47 111; bill; 


gill; 


hill ; 


will ; 


75 Caper ; cape ; cap. 


till; sill; 


pill; 


dill; 


fill; 




M 






ANAG 


RAMS. 


1 Potentates, 








8 Charades. 


2 Lawyers, 








9 Charles James Stuai't, 


3 Christianity 








10 Napoleon Bonaparte. 


4 Old England. 






11 Astronomers. 


5 Telegraphs. 








12 The opposition. 


6 Radical reform. 






13 Parishioners 


7 Horatio Nelson. 






14 Catalogues. 



262 



SOLUTIONS. 



15 Revolution 

16 Presbyterian* 

17 Penitentiary. 

18 La Revolution Francaise. 

19 Democratical. 

20 Misanthrope. 

21 Funeral. 

22 Enigmatical. 

23 Festival. 

24 Solemnity. 

25 Sovereignty. 

26 Pedagogues, 



27 James Stuart. 

28 Disappointment, 

29 Phaeton. 

30 Monastically. 

31 Patience. 

32 Breath. 

33 Wealth. 

34 Arthur Wellesley. 

35 Dissemination. 

36 Miniature. 

37 Parishioner. 

38 Sweetheart. 



LOGOGRIPHS,. 



1 Pillory : in which may be found 

pill ; ill ; lip ; roll ; Po ; pry ; 
poll ; rill ; ropy ; Polly ; lop ; 
lo ; lily ; rip ; oil j oily ; or ; 
O. P. 

2 Thread : in which may be \ 

found, death; dear; Ate; | 
Terah ; the ; dearth ; tare ; \ 
hare ; hart ; rat ; art ; a ; I 
date ; red ; era ; trade ; | 
rated ; tar ; hat ; head ; \ 
heart ; tread ; hear ; heard ; | 
re ; da ; at ; herd ; ah ; ha ; \ 
tear ; dare ; hate ; tea ; her ; \ 
eh ; hated ; Jart ; hard ; f 



hater ; heat ; ear ; hatred ; 
eat 

3 Obscurity : in which may be 

found, sour ; city ; sty ; sot y 
buoy ; tour ; story ; orb j 
orbit; rust; rut; sir; or; 
bust ; crust. 

4 Amusement : in which may be 

found. Muse; tea; stream; 
sun; ant; mate; mast; 
as ; man ; mete ; sum j 
tease ; amuse ; meat ; mute ; 
ease ; aunt ; nut ; seat ; sea ; 
mane ; mames ; name ; 
seam ;. east ; strum. 



Thus ends our Key to the Riddler ; our young readers, we doubt not, have- 
very frequently referred to it, in perusing the various questions and puzzlea 
which precede it, in order to save themselves the trouble of tasking their in^ 
genuity to discover the solutions. They ought not,, however, to have re* 
course to the Answers, until they have made frequent attempts to solve the 
Riddles. Some persons cannot, without considerable difiiculty, find the 
proper answer to an Enigma or a Rebus ; while others, of no greater general 
acuteness, do so with ease. It is no proof, therefore, of inferiority, not to be 
able to reply to a quaint Conundrum, so quickly as another. Many young 
people have displayed much ingenuity in the construction of different sorts 
of Riddles in rhyme, — they are, in general, the most happy in solving those 
of others. The admirers of these frequently amusing trifles, consider oppo- 
sition in their component parts, or curious combinations, to be most eaeeo* 
tiaJ in the construction of good Riddles. 



THE ANGLER. 




Embower'd upon the pleasant banks of Thames •, 
Or, by the silver stream of Isis, Cam, 
Or yellow Avon, roaming, the Angler, 
Joyous, pursues from morn till eve his sport. 

Angling has long held a high rank among the ..ports of the people of 
England ; poets have written in its praise, and philosophers have delighted 
in its practice ; it is not confined to particular places, ages, or grades of so- 
ciety ; wherever the brook wanders ^' through hazy shaw or broomy glen," 
— wherever the willow-branch laves in the streamlet, — wherever the Trout 
leaps at the May-fly, or the Pike iuiks in tlie bulrushes, or the Salmon springs 
tip the waterfall, — there also are Anglers. To enjoy this fine pastime, 
the mountaineer descends to the valley-stream, tlie Magister Artium quits his 
learned halls and collegiate ease for the banks of the deeps, the weirs, and the 
tumbling bays of Cam ; the citizen his shop and beloved leger for a hickory 
rod and a creek in the Roding; and the courtier his rich Turkey carpet, 
ottoman and lustre, for " nature's grassy foot-cloth," the rough bark of a 
felled river-side tree, and the sparkling surface of a rippled stream. The 
boy, who was but " breeched a Wednesday," often spends his holyday 
hour on the bank of a brook, with a crooked pin for his hook, a needleful of 
tliread for his line, and an alder switch for his rod ; and the gray-headed 
^statesman, — nay, even Royalty itself, — occasionally relaxes from the grave 



264 THE ANGLER. 

duties attendant on such superior station, from weighing the balance of 
power, and determining the fate of nations, " to wield the rod, and cast 
the mimic %»" 



The first care of the Angler should be to procure good rods, lines, hooks, 
and floats. A great variety of rods may be had at the shops, of bamboo. 
Tine, hazel, and hickory : for general fishing, those made of bamboo, having 
several tops of various strengths, are best ; but cane rods are much superior 
for fine fishing. The rod should be perfectly straight when put together, 
and gradually taper from the butt to the top. If you be desirous of making 
the rods yourself, the following directions must be observed : — The stocks 
should be cut in the winter ; hazel and yew switches are the best for tops, 
and crab-tree for stocks. Do not use them till fully seasoned, which will be 
in about sixteen months after they are cut ;: but the longer they are kept the 
better. The rod should consist of five or six pieces, fitted so nicely, tiiat the- 
whole rod may appear as if it consisted of one piece only. The best rods are- 
those that are brass ferruled ; but if they are bound togetlier, it must be with 
thread, strongly waxed, the pieces being cut with a slope or slant, that they 
may join with the greater exactness- Six or eight inches must be taken 
from the top, and in its place a smooth round taper piece of whalebone sub- 
stituted, on which a strong loop of horse-hair must be previously whipt* 
Fly-rods are made more taper than others. Rods for trolling must be Itir- 
nished with brass rings, whipt all the way up, about ten or twelve inches 
distance, for the trolling lines to go through ; the tops for trolls must be 
strong, and have rings whipt on, with pieces of quill, to prevent the lines 
being cut. The tops of rods for Carp, Teuich, Dace and Roach fishing,, 
should be finer, and more elastic. 

The rod must neither be kept too dry, nor too moist ; for the one will 
make it brittle, the other rotten. In very warm weather, always wet the 
joints, to make them adhere better ; if, however, by being too wet, they 
should stick, so that you cannot easily get them asunder, never use force, lest 
you should strain your rod, but rather wait till it be dry, or turn the ferrule 
of the joint which is fast, a few times over the flame of a candle, and it will 
separate. 



For the line, horse-hair is to be preferred ; it should be round, twisted 
even, and of equal thickness. The best colors are white and gray for 
clear waters, and sorrel for muddy rivers. The most easy method of maki^ 
ing lines, is by a little machine, which may be bought at most of the shops 
where ako, ycu purchase your lineSj^ if you tliink fit. 



THE ANGLER. 269 



Hooks are numbered, and made suitable in size to the fish they are mten- 
ded to take. For Barbel-fishing, Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, are used ; for 
Gudgeons, Nos, 10 and 11 ; for Roach, Dace, and Bleak, Nos. 10, 11, or 
12; for Tench, Carp, and Perch, Nos. 7, 8, and 9; for Trout, No. 6; for 
Chub, Nos. 8 or 9 ; for Eels, No. 8 ; for Grayling, No. 10 ; for Ruff, No. 9 ; 
for Minnows, &c. No. 13, &c. The above sizes are such as the best Anglers 
of the present day prefer, and are much smaller than those used formerly ; 
but he who expects success at this sport must adopt the modern tackle, or 
he will be disappointed. Foi arming the hook, use fine, small, strong silk,, 
well waxed, and lay the hair on the inside of the hook, otherwise the silk will 
fret and cut it asunder. 

FLOATS. 

Floats made of Muscovy-duck quills, are best for slow waters ; sound 
cork, without flaws or holes, bored through with a hot iron, into which is 
put a quill of fit proportion, is preferable for strong streams : the cork should 
be pared to a pyramidical form, ground small with a pumice-stone, and 
colored according to fancy. Floats must be ffo poised with shot, when on 
the line, as to make them stand perpendicularly in the water, that the least 
nibble may be apparent. > 

„. ' BAITS. 

The lob-worm, gmj^fi-worm, and dew-worm, or trechet, are found in 
gardens and chur(;^*^rds at night ; those with red heads, broad tails, and 
streaked down^me back, are the best. These worms are excellent bait for 
Barbel, or Eels, and are found towards the latter end of the summer. 

Gilt-tails, brandlings, and red worms are found in old dung-hills, hog's 
dung, cow's dung, and tanner's bark. The brandlinn and gilt-tail are ex- 
cellent bait for Peich, Tench, Bream and Gudgeon. The red worms, well 
scoured, are taken by Tench, Perch, and Bream, in muddy waters. 

llie meadow, or marsh-worm, is of a lightish blue color, and a good 
bait for Perch; it is found in marshy ground, or in the banks of rivers in the 
months of August and September. 

The tag-tail is found in meadows, or chalky ground after rain, in March 
and April ; and esteemed a good bait for Trout, in cloudy weather. 

The palmer-worm, woolbed, or canker, is found on herbs, plants, and 
trees; and takes the name of woolbed, from its rough and woolly coat. 
This is an excellent bait for Trout, Chub, Grayling, Roach, or Dace. 

The oak-worm, caterpillar, cabbage-worm, crab-tree-worm colewort* 
worm or grub, may be gathered on the leaves of colewort and cabbage, or 
on the hawthorn, oak, or crab-tree ; and may be long preserved witli the 
leaves of those trees or plants, in boxes bored with holes to admit the air. 
They are good baits for Chub, Dace, Roach, or Trout 



266 THE ANGLER. 

The bark-worm, or ash-grub, is found under the bark of a felled oak, ash, 
elder, or beach, or in the hollow of those trees where rotten. This bait may 
be used all the year for Grayling, Dace, Roach, or Chub. Tliey are kept 
well in wheat -bran. 

The cod-bait, caddis-worm, or case-worm, of which there are three sorts, 
is found in pits, ponds, or ditches ; they are excellent baits for Bream, 
Tench, Bleaks, Chub, Trout, Grayling, and Dace. 

Gentles, or maggots, are easily bred by putrefaction ; they may be kept 
with flesh, and scoured with wheat-bran. They are good baits for Tench, 
Bream, Barbel, Dace, Gudgeon, Chub, Bleak, and Carp. 

Cow-dung-bob is found under cow-dung, and somewhat resembles a gen- 
tle. It is best kept in earth ; and is a good bait for Trout, Chub, Carp, 
Tench, Bream, Dace, and Roach. 

The white-grub, or whHe-bait, is much larger than a maggot ; it is found 
in sandy and mellow ground ; and is an excellent bait from the middle of 
April till November, for Tench, Roach, Bream, Trout, Chub, Dace, and 
Carp. These baits should be kept in an earthen vessel, with the eartli about 
them, and covered very close. 

Flag or dock -worms are found among the small fibres of flag-roots, andi.i 
old pits or ponds. They may be kept in bran ; and are good baits for 
Bream, Tench, Roach, Carp, Bleak, Dace, and Perch. 

Boiled salmon-spawn is a very good bait for Chub, and in some rivers, 
for Trout. 

Dace, minnows, roach, smelt, gudgeon, bleak, and miller 's-thumb, are 
proper bait for Pike. 

Grasshoppers, in June, July, and August, their legs and wings taken off, 
are good for Roach, Chub, Trout, and Grayling. 

Cheese, or oat-cake, is reckoned killing for Chub, Barbel, Roach, and 
Dace ; the cheese you may moisten with honey and water. 

The water-cricket, water-louse or creeper, which is found in stony rivers, 
will often take Trout in March, April, and May. 

White snails are good bait for Chub, early in the morning, and for Trout 
and Eels on night hooks. 

House-crickets are also good, to dib with, for Chub. 

TROUT. 

In angling for Trout at the bottom, in the early part of the morning, and 
late at night, also during the day, if the water be much colored, use a 
strong rod, running tackle, and No. 6 hook. Angle with a float, putting 
sufficient shot on the line, placed about nine inches above the hook, to sink 
the bait, which should be one large lob-worm, or two marsh or dew-worms, 
well scoured, and very lively. Let your bait drag the bottom ; do not strike 
the first tiu:e you feel a tug, but rather slacken your line, and when you feel 



THE ANGLER. 267 

two or three sharp pulls, strike smartly; if a heavy fish, give him line, and 
land him at leisure, as a Trout is very strong, and struggles most violently, 
leaping out of the water, and flying in all directions, as soon as he feels 
tlie hook. 

The Minnow is a good killing bait for Trout. In fishing with a Minnow, 
hook it by the lips, or beneath the back fin ; use a small cork float. No. 6 
hook, and let your bait swim below mid-water in deep dark holes, which are 
free from eddies. Trout begin to feed in March, and continue in season till 
June. The first two or three months are best for bottom-fishing, they are 
then found in shallows ; in summer time, the large Trout lie in deep holes, or 
eddies. As they seldom feed in the day, unless in dark weather, you must 
fish for Trout betimes in the morning, and late in the evening, or you will 
not be likely to be successful in your sport. 



The perch generally takes a bait immediately it is oflered. Perch angling 
continues from April to October. Strong tackle must be used in angling for 
them, a cork float, gut line, or a twisted hair, and hook No. 7. Bait with 
two red worms, well scoured, or a live Minnow hooked by the lips or back 
fin, shrimps, or large gray maggots taken from potato or turnip plants ; give 
them a few minutes to pouch the bait ; use running tackle or you will cer- 
tainly lose your fish. During the hot months, Perch feed very little ; dark, 
windy weather, if not too cold, is best ; they lie about bridges, mill-pools, 
near locks in riversahd canals, in deep, dark, still holes and eddies, ponds 
about flood gates," on the gravel or sandy parts, and near rushes. If there 
be any Perph^about, and they are inclined to feed, they will soon take the 
bait, so that you need not delay long in one place. 



Eels are taken with the rod and line, night lines, dead lines, and by bob- 
bing and sniggling. When fishing with a rod, use gut, or twisted hair lines, 
with a float, and No. 8 hook ; bait with a worm, fish at the bottom, and let the 
float remain a moment under water before you strike. The dead line 
should be made of whipcord ; on which you may put five or six hooks, about 
nine inches apart. The night line must be strong, and baited with small 
fish, or lob-worms. Bobbing is practised from a boat ; you must procure a 
large quantity of worms for this, pass a needle through them, from head to 
tail, and string them on worsted, until you have as many strung as will form 
a bunch as large as a good-sized turnip : then fasten them on tlie line, so 
tliat all the ends may hang level. Place a piece of lead of a conical form in 
the middle, cast the baits into the water, sink them to the bottom, raise them 
a few inches, and then drop them again until you have a bite ; be as expert 



S68 THE ANGLER. 

and steady in raising your lines as possible, so that your fish may drop off 
into the boat. Immense numbers may be taken by this method. 

NATURAL FLY-FISHING. 

For Natural Fly-fishing, the rods should be long and Siender, the lines 
fine, but not so long as those used for Artificial Fly-fishing ; the tackle run- 
ning ; and the hooks short in their shanks, and well proportioned in size to 
the baits. By fishing with the wind at one's back, the line is wafted through 
the air just above the surface of the water. In streams, begin by fishing 
just under the banks or near the shore, and proceed by degrees, until at 
length you may throw your line the whole breadth of the water. In rivers, 
which, during the summer months, produce an abundance of weeds, you 
should fish between those places where the current is strongest, taking care 
so to manage your line as not to get it entangled. When fishing with natural 
flies, all the other haunts of the different fish which we have elsewhere men- 
tioned should be frequented. Let the fly just reach the surface of the wa- 
ter, and go gently down the stream ; the top of your rod should be a little 
raised, and the bait kept in motion upon the surface, by gently raising, low- 
ering, and drawing it to and fro. When a fish takes your bait, after a mo- 
ment strike smartly ; and, if he be not so large as to break your tackle, lift 
him out immediately ; for by playing with him you may, probably, scare 
away others. There is an immense variety of Natural Fly-fishing baits; 
we shall describe those only which are in most general use. 

NATURAL BAITS. 

Hornets, wasps, and humble-bees, are good baits for Roach, Dace, Eels, 
Flounders, Bream and Chub ; some boil them, but it is best to dry them in 
an oven, or over a fire ; and, if not over done, they will keep a long time. 
The stone-fly is found at the sides of rivers, under hollow stones ; it is of a 
curious brown color, the body is pretty thick, and streaked with yellow on 
the back and belly. 

The green drake is taken from May to July j it is a long, slender fly, with 
wings like those of a butterfly ; its body is yellow, ribbed with green ; it turns 
its tail on its back. These are good baits for Roach, Dace, Perch, Bleak, 
and Flounders. The gray drake, in size and shape, reseinMes the green 
drake, but has black shining wings, and its body is a pale yellow^, striped 
with black and green. The time for taking this fly immediately succeeds 
tliat of taking the green drake, and it is used for the same fish. 

Ant-flies are found in their hills from June till September ; two or three 
of them fixed on a small hook are certain baits for Roach, Dace, and Chub, 
if you do not angle above six inches from the bottom. They may be kept 
in glass bottles, with some of the earth, from which they have been taken. 



THE ANGLER. 269 

about them. The fern-fly, or fern bob, is found among fern, from May to 
the end of August. It has a short, thick body, and two pair of wings, the 
uppermost reddish and hard, which may be taken off. The Chub never re* 
fiises it, and the Trout will take it very freely at the latter end of May. 

The hawthorn-fly is found on hawthorn-trees, when the leaves are just 
ehooting ; it is of a black color, and is used to dib in a river for Trout. 

The great moth is to be found, in the summer evenings, in gardens, trees, 
or plants; it is used as a bait in dibbingfor Roach; ithasaveiy large head 
and whitish wings. 

The bonnet-fly is an excellent bait for Dace, Chub, &c ; it is to be found 
in the summer months, among standing grass. 

The ash-fly, woodcock-fly, or oak -fly, is usually found, from May till 
September, in the body of an oak or ash- tree, with its head downward, 
toward the root ; it is of a brownish color. This fly is a good bait for 
Trout. The red copper-colored beetle is a good hfeitfor Trout, if the hard 
wings be clipped off, and the fly hung with its feet toward the water. 

The best mode of keeping natural flies is as follows : Procure a horn bottle 
made in the shape of a cone, with a wooden bottom, in which several holes 
must be pierced ; these should be sufficiently numerous to aflford the flies air, 
but none of them large enough to suffer your smallest bait to escape ; a cork 
must be obtained to fit the upper or smaller end, so that you may take your 
baits out, one by one, without losing any. If the flies be kept in a common 
box, there is a great chance of half a dozen flying out every time you lift 
the cover. 

ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 

The most elgpSlt, clean, gentlemanly, and pleasant mode of fishing is, 
unquestionably, with the Artificial Fly. It has many advantages over bot- 
tom-fishing ; — the Artificial fly-fisher is never under the necessity of making 
ground-bait, digging clay, &c. — he has not even the trouble of baiting his 
hook ; he may ramble along the banks of a pleasant stream, with no bur- 
den (excepting' a little book of flies and a light rod) but the fish which he 
may have 'the good fortune to take; — enjoying his sport, and luxuriating in 
gentle exercise, without scarcely soiling his fingers. 

But though Artificial Fly-fishing possesses these advantages, it must be 
Confessed that, in some points, the superiority is to be given to bottom- 
fishing. There are many fishes that will never rise at a fly ; while all the 
*' tenants of the stream" may be taken, at some time or other, by a bottom 
bait ; and during the cold or wet weather, when the Fly-fisher cannot follow 
his sport, the staunch Angler, who uses bottom-baits, may still resort to the 
** grassy margin of the stream," and indulge in his piscatory pastime ; for 
there are few days in the year when fish will not take a proper bait. 

Artificial fly-fishing is, by far, the most difficult part of Angling ; mucli 



270 THE ANGLER. 

time and practice are required to make the tyro an adept in it ; by theory 
it can never be attained ; a few months' instruction, under an experienced 
person, will be more beneficial toward its acquirement than the perusal of all 
the works extant on the subject. With the preliminary part, or rudiments of 
the science, (for so it may with propriety be called,) the young Angler may, 
however, make himself acquainted, by reading the following- pages ; and if 
he will carefully attend to the hints and instructions hereinafter given on the 
subject, he may, with good practice, even attain considerable proficiency in 
Artificial Fly-fishing ; but it cannot be learned so soon, or so well, from any 
book as from an experienced instructer. 

CASTING THE LINES, &C. 

Your rod for fly-fishing must be light and flexible, and of a length proper^ 
tioned to your power of casting; when you have properly fixed the winch, 
and brought your line f^fim it through the links, fix your fly on, and let out 
your line about the length of the rod, or something less; take the rod in 
vour right hand, and the line, near the fly, in your left; when you move the 
rod backward to cast the line, let the latter go from your left hand. Practice 
several tlu-ows at this length, and increase it occasionally, as you improve, 
until you are able to throw almost any moderate length, with ease, to within 
an inch of any spot you desire. Draw the fly lightly toward the shore, and 
look sharply at it, so as to be able to strike instantly if a fish should rise at 
it; if you do not, you will most probably lose him, for he quickly discovers 
the nature of your bait. In raising your line for the second and subsequent 
throws, \^'ave your rod round your head, instead of bringing it directly back- 
ward. You should not return the line before it has gone its full length be- 
hind you, lest you whip off your fly. In order to show your flies naturally to 
the fish, when you have thrown, raise your hand by degrees, with a slight 
quivering motion ; and, as you thus draw the bait toward you, let it go down 
the stream, (for you must never bring your fly against it,) and before it comes 
too near you, prepare to cast again. If you see a fish rise at a natural fly, 
throw your line a little above him, so that the bait may come gently and 
naturally down toward him ; fish every yard of water likely to afford sport, 
and never despair of success ; for, sometimes it so happens, that, after many 
fruitless hours spent without a fish ever rising at your fly, you will fill your 
bag or basket during the last hour. The lighter your fly descends on the 
water, the greater chance you have of a bite ; the way to throw with the 
requisite perfection in this respect, is only to be acquired by practice and 
love for the art. Use only one hook at a time, till you can throw 
to any given distance witli certainty. You may acquire such a mas- 
tery, by dint of observation and practice, as to be able to cast your fly under 
banks, into holes, among bushes, &c., where the best fish are frequently 
found. Endeavour to keep the wind at your back, and when fishing in a 



THE ANGLER. 271 

small stream, where the middle is shallow, and the water ripples, cast your 
bait to the opposite side, slowly draw it to the rippling, and let it float down 
some distance. You must recollect to keep yourself out of sight, and your 
fly in motion, that it may appear to the fish as if alive. If you do not find 
the fish rise toward the top, sink your fly, by degiees, even to middle water. 
Before flies are natm-ally in season, the fish very rarely rise at them ; there- 
fore, in order that you may not be mistaken in your baiting, observe what 
flies are about the water, or on the bushes or trees near the ponds or rivers ; 
and that fly which swarms there most, being chiefly in season, is to be used. 
If the wind be pretty high, the fish will rise in the plain deep ; but when 
little wind is stirring, it is best to angle in the stream. We need scarcely 
remind you of the propriety of taking your basket, landing-net, book of flies, 
and, if you are able to construct an artificial fly yourself, a few materials for 
fly-making ; so that, if the fish, which are often whimsical, will not take any 
of the baits with which you are provided, and you observe them rising at 
natural flies, (and they will sometimes feed on such insignificant ones as, at 
other times, they will scarcely look at,) catch one of sucli flies, and make one 
for your bait as nearly like it as possible. This, certainly, is a great advan- 
tage, and every Angler ought, therefore, perhaps, to acquire sufficient 
knowledge in fly-making to be able to produce such a tolerable imitation, 
tliat the fish may not easily detect the difference between the natural and 
the artificial fly. 

GENERAL RULES FOR ALL ANGLERS. 

In bottom-fishing, plumb the depth truly, and with as little disturbance as 
may be ; let your line, with the plummet to it, remain in the water while 
you cast in the ground-bait, by which time the line will be softened and 
stretched ; keep as far from the water as you can, Use fine tackle, and 
you will the sooner become skilful : if you break your tackle, do not lose 
your temper, but sit down, and diligently repair it. If hail fall, or the day 
be cold, and the wind blow strong, the Angler must not expect much sport. 
In soft rain, or foggy, close weather, most fish will bite. Never drink water 
out of rivers or ponds while in a perspiration ; keep your feet dry, by wear- 
ing strong boots and shoes. It is supposed that the, best winds for Angling 
are the south, west, and south east. In hot weather, the cooler the wind 
blows the better; but in the early part of the season, and also in autumn, a 
warm wind is more advantageous. When the wind comes from a cold 
quarter, such places as are most protected from its influence should be re- 
sorted to. A cloudy day, with light showers, after a bright night, in general 
proves most favorable to the Angler, who may also expect good sport even 
on those days when heavy rains descend during the intervals between the 
eliowers. When a calm bright morning is succeeded by a gloomy day with 
a brisk wind, without any fall of rain, the fish, — at least, the larger sorts, — 
are almost sure to feed. Weather-wisdom is of the greatest benefit to tlw 



S72 



TnHe angler. 



Angler : — our young friends should therefore pay attention to, and remeiH^ 
ber the state of the wind, the clouds, &c., on those days when they find the 
ifish bite, and when they refuse to take a bait. They may thus not only be 
enabled to say when there is a prospect of sport, but also save themselves 
much trouble and disappointment, by staying at home to improve their 
tackle, or amusing themselves in some other manner, instead of following 
*' the devious windings of th<3 stream," when the weather is unpromising. 
When the wind blows right across the water, fish with your back toward it ; 
not merely because you can throw your line with more facility, but because 
the fish will certainly be on that side, watching for the flies, &c. that may be 
blown from the bank into the water. Throw as near the bank on which you 
stand as the wind, if it be high, will suffer yoli. In the summer time, when 
the sun is out in all his splendor, and there is scarcely a breath of wind 
stirring, you may often see the fish basking in clear low water, with their 
fins and a part of their backs above the surface. On these occasions, they 
will rise greedily at a hackle, if your foot length be fine, and you fish at a 
sufficient distance to be unperceived, under banks or straight down the sides 
of streams. Your line, for this purpose, must be long ; and if, when you 
liook a fish, the others should become alarmed and shoot off", retire for a 
short time and in all probability they will return again ; if not, you must try 
elsewhere. Artificial Bait, and Apparatus for all kinds of Angling, may be 
fead at Bradlee's near the Old Soutli Church, in Boston. 




RABBITS. 




^ 



See where a motley litter sports around 
The captive doe, whose native symmetry 
Has so improved 'neath man's dominion, 
That her grandsire's progeny, sporting wide 
O'er hill and dale, in their plain russet coats, 
Seem of no kin to her. 

Rabbit-keeping was never, perhaps, so 'much practised in Engl;ind as 
it is at the present day. Not only do a 'multitude of young persons keep 
common rabbits for their amusement, and poulterers and others for the 
table, but of late, many gpntlemen have become rabbit-breeders to a con- 
siderable extent; and jthough the varieties are so much less numerous, it 
promises to become,, ere long, as popular a fancy as that in pigeons. A 
writer on this subject states, that there are, or were, two great feeders in 
the counties of Oxford and Bucks, the former of whom kept a sufficient 
number to produce three dozen rabbits for the market per week ; the latter, 
it is said, kept white rabbits only, on account of the superior value of their 
skins for the purpose of trimming. These persons, however, must be con- 
sidered rabbit feeders rather than fanciers. 

Fancy rabbits are rarely to be met with in the hands of the common deal- 
ers, good ones being of too high a price to come within tkeir means. 

There are, however, several private individuals of great respectability in 
the city, from whom excellent specimens may be obtained, by those who 
wish to lay the foundation for a fancy stock. A rabbit, of whatever color 
it way be, is certainly a beautiful little animal ; b •* the common breed art 



S74 RABBITS. 

very inferior in beauty of appearance to the fine lop-eared creatures. 
We feel convinced that any person who sees a well-ordered rabbitry, con- 
taining some good specimens of fancy rabbits, will be so struck with their 
superior beauty of appearance, that he will not think of keeping merely 
common rabbits. The first is the only extra expense ; for the fine lopped- 
eared animals do not require more or superior food than what ought to be 
aifForded to the common ones. They are, we confess, rather more delicate 
in constitution ; but their fine appearance will certainly compensate their 
keeper for the care he may take in keeping them in order ; there is also a 
greater pleasure in breeding valuable animals, than rabbits, that, at best, 
will never be worth, when reared, above half a dozen shillings. And here 
let us impress upon our young readers the propriety of feeding their rabbits 
regularly. Poor creatures ! they are caged, confined, and wholly depen- 
dent upon us — it would be the extreme of barbarity to neglect them. If 
we keep any living creature in a confined state, we enjoin a duty on our- 
splves of providing for their wants. Depend upon it, that the boy will rue 
the day, unless he have decidedly a bad heart, who sits down to a comfort- 
able meal, while his rabbit or his bird — heretofore his idol and his toy, but 
now, in caprice, neglected — pines, in its prison, for his appearance with its 
usual daily food. If he be tired of that, which, when it was a novelty, he 
took so much delight in, he had better sell, give, or even humanely kill it, 
than suffer it to languish its solitary hours away in hunger and in thirst. It 
is a creature dependent on his care, — it is helpless and imprisoned — is he 
not cruel in the extreme if he omit to furnish it with its daily pittance 1 

THE WILD RABBIT. 

Wild rabbits are considerably less than those which are kept in a domes- 
tic state ; they are, for the most part, of a gray color ; but a few black, black 
and white, and even fawn-colored rabbits are to be seen in some warrens. 
The flesh of wild rabbits is, in general, preferred to that of tame ones ; but 
the latter may be much improved in flavor by judicious feeding, and af*- 
fording the animals good air and sufficient room to exercise themselves. 

It is said that the wild rabbit will breed eleven times a year, and bring 
forth, generally, eight young ones each time ; at this rate, in four years, a 
couple of rabbits would produce a progeny of almost a million and a half 

THE COMMON DOMESTIC RABBIT. 

One of the chief objects in keeping common rabbits is, for the purpose df 
occasionally finishing a dish for the table ; and, therefore, those persons, 
by whom they are kept, attend as particularly to the sort of rabbits whosa 
flesli is said to be the best, as to their colors or shape. 

The short-legged stout rabbits are generally supposed to be the most 



RABBITS. 



275 



healthy, and also the best breeders. The large hare-colored variety is 
much esteemed by some people ; but the white, or white mottled with black 
or vellow, are more delicate in flesh. The gray and some of the blacks, 
approach nearer to the flavour of the wild rabbit than any others. 

LOP-EARED, OR FANCY RABBITS, 

Formerly, a fine rabbit of any two colors, however short its ears, was 
.accounted a fancy animal : it is now very diflerent. In the eye of a fancier 
of the present day, the long lopped ear is an indispensable requisite. The 
first things that are looked at are the lengtli and fall of the ears ; the dewlap, 
if the animal be in its prime, is next noticed; the colors and markings are 
then inspected; and, lastly, the shape and general appearance. Rabbits, 
whose ears do not extend to fourteen inches from tip to tip, measured across 
the skull, would be reluctantly admitted into a fancier's stock, if they fell 
ever so finely; or, in case they exceeded that length, (and they sometimes 
are sixteen inches, and even upward,) if they did not lop or fall downward, 
in what is deemed a graceful and becoming manner. The dewlap, which 
f is only seen in fancy rabbits, sometime after they have attained their full 
growth, adds materially to the beauty of their appearance : it commences 
immediately under the jaw, goes down the throat, and between the fore-legs : 
it is so broad^ that when the head reposes upon it, it projects beneath the 
chin, and on each side beyond the jaws ; it is usually parted in the centre in 
front, and is equal in size to a couple of good-sized eggs : when the fur on 
it is of a beautiful color, it produces a very fine effisct. 

The annexed cut is a portrait of Wowski, a first-rate fancy lop rabbit, 
m the possession of the writer. At the time of making the drawing for this 

cut, Wowski was jusi 
ten weeks old ; her ears 
matching perfectly with 
each other, and meas- 
uring, from tip to tip, 
nearly thirteen inches. 
The diflerence in the 
back, and general ap- 
pearance, to say noth- 
ing of the ears, between 
the fancy and the com* 
mon rabbit, cannot fail to strike the reader who will take tlie trouble of com- 
paring the annexed engraving with the cut of the common domestic rabbit, 
inserted on page 273. 

Fancy rabbits fetch high prices compared with those of the common ones ; 
five, ten, and even as much as twenty guineas, have been given for a first- 
rate doe. Very good fancy rabbits may, however, be bought for less sums 
s2 




^76 RABBITS. 

than these ; the foundation of a fancy stock, provided young rabbits only be 
bought, may be made for even much less. We know a youth who began to 
keep fancy rabbits but two years ago, and has now a very brilliant little 
stock. He purchased three rabbits, each about two months old, of excellent 
breed ; but being all deficient, in some respect, with regcrd to properties, 
they cost him between twenty and thirty shillings only. These three rabbits, 
being of the true fancy strain, have occasionally thrown very excellent speci- 
mens, which he has selected and reared : the first he has disposed of again, 
and his hutches did not, at the time we saw them, which was about three 
months since, contain an animal that would not paiss muster in the rabbitry 
of a first-rate fancier. 

THE RABBITRY AND HUTCHES. 

The rabbit house should be dry and well ventilated ; too much humidity, 
whether externally or internally, will cause the rabbits to rot. Where con- 
siderable numbers are kept, fresh air is absolutely necessary to preserve 
them in a state of health ; still they should not be exposed to draughts, 
which, on many occasions, have brought on a disease called the snuffles — a 
dangerous, and frequently fatal malady. If economy be an object, or the 
young fancier be desirous of employing his mechanical abilities, he 
may construct hutches sufficiently good for common purposes himself. 
A tolerably good doe's hutch may be made out of an old egg-chest, and 
places for bucks and weaned rabbits, of tea-chests ; the former are to be 
bought at a cheesemonger's, the latter at a grocer's shop. If our reader 
should become his own carpenter in this case, we recommend him to follow, 
as much as his abilities will admit, the directions which are given for mak- 
ing hutches in the following page. Young persons should begin by keeping 
common rabbits, for which common hutches, such as they can construct 
themselves, if so inclined, will be quite good enough. When they have 
acquired experience in the management of the Rabbitry, and not before, 
they may, by degrees, introduce superior animals to their stock, and dispose 
of the common ones. They should then also obtain superior hutches ; for a 
fine lop-eared rabbit loses half the beauty of its appearance in a clumsy and 
ill-fashioned hutch. 

The hutch for does should have a partition with a hole in it, to let them 
pass from one part to the other, and a slide to close this hole when necessary. 
For weaned rabbits, a hutch without this partition is preferable, and it is 
unnecessary to make any partition in tlie bucks' hutches. The breeding 
hutches should be about three feet long, two feet and a half in depth, and 
eighteen inches high ; the breeding place may be from nine to twelve inches 
in breadth ; it should have a door to fit the whole fiont of it, fastened by a 
separate latch or buckle to that used for the door of the feeding place. The 
latter door should extend tlie whole distance from the partition to tlie opposite 



RABBITS. 277 

part of the hutch, and in depth from the top to within two or three inches 
of the bottom ; it must be made of a frame of wood tinned on the inside, 
with stout wire or slender iron rods nailed or driven into the top and 
bottom parts of the frame, fi'om three quarters to an inch apart. Hang it 
on a pair of small hinges to that side of the hutch which is opposite the 
partition, and fasten it by a latch or buckle. Under this door, a drawer 
for food, well tinned round the edges, is to run in ; it should be fastened by 
a buckle fixed to the lower part of the large door, or it may be so contrived 
that the door will keep it close without any fastening. Nail tin round the 
hole in the partition, (which ought to be circular,) and, in fact, to every 
other part of the interior of the hutch which the rabbits can take hold of with 
their teeth ; as they are very destiuctive animals, and would actually gnaw 
themselves out of a mere wooden hutch. The bottom must be planed quite 
smooth, and a slip be taken off the lower part of the back of the hutch to 
let the urine rim off: for this purpose, hutches should also be set a little 
on the slant backward. 

The bucl^'s hutch is made different in every respect from the breeding 
hutch; instead of being square, it is almost semicircular; the back and 
sides being gradually rounded off from the front. The wires are placed 
wider apart, and are thicker and stronger than those used for doe's hutches : 
it has no partition, and the drawer, instead of running the whole breadth 
of the cage, as there is never more than one rabbit at a time to feed out of 
It, is placed in the centre, to a cross piece which goes from side to side, as 
the front piece of the draw^er in other hutches. There must be an aperture 
at the back close to the floor, for the purpose we have before mentioned, 
and the door, which, excepting the drawer, constitutes the entire front of the 
cage, should be well hinged and fastened with a stout button. The buck's 
hutch should not be less than twenty inches high, two feet and a half broad, 
and twenty inches at its deepest part. 

The hutches may be stacked one aljove another, or set in a row, as choice 
or convenience may direct. They should, however, never be placed upon 
tlie ground, but elevated on wooden stools, or horses, a foot or two above it ; 
neither ought the back parts of them to be put close against the wall, but 
sufficient room should be left for the dung to have a passage from tlie aper- 
tures made in the lower part of the back to the floor. 

FEEDING. 

This is a most important subject. On his skill, as a feeder, mainly de- 
pends the young Fancier's chance of prosperity with his stock. If too much 
food be given at once, the animals will get disgusted with and refuse it, so 
that a rabbit may be nearly starved by affording it too great a quantity of 
food. Most persons feed their rabbits twice, but, for our own [part, we feed 
ours thrice a day. To a full-grown doe, without a litter, in the mornii^. 



278 RABBITS. 

we give a little hay, or dry clover, and a few of sucii vegetables as are iis 
season ; in the afternoon, we put two handfuls of good corn into her trough ; 
and, at night, we give her a boiled potato or two, more vegetables, and if 
her hutcli be clear of what we gave her in the morning, but by no means 
otherwise, a little more hay or clover. If you give rabbits more hay than 
they can eat in a few hours, except it be to a doe just about to litter, they 
will tread it under foot, and waste it ; if you give them but a moderate quan- 
tity at a time, they will eat and enjoy it. Generally speaking, rabbits prefer 
green or moist food to corn :' but it is necessary to make them eat a suffi- 
cient proportion of solid food to keep them in health ; occasionally, instead 
of corn, we give our rabbits a few split or whole gray peas. When a doe 
has a litter by her side, and also for rabbits recently weaned, we soak the 
peas for a few hours previously to putting them in the trough. If a rabbit 
will not eat a proper quantity of corn, we mix a small quantity of squeezed 
tea-leaves with her portion, and stint her proportionately in green meat- 
Barley-meal, dry as well as scalded, we occasionally use, to fatten for the 
table, or to bring a poor rabbit into good condition ; and in winter, when 
greens are scarce, but not otherwise, we feed with fresh grains mixed with 
oats, peas, meal, or pollard. Tea-leaves, in small quantities, well squeezed, 
may at all times be given, by way of a treat ; but it is highly improper to 
make them a daily substitute for green meat. 

Almost all the vegetables and roots used for the table may be given to 
rabbits; in preference to all others, we choose celery, parsley and the roots 
and tops of carrots ; and in this choice the animals themselves heartily agree 
with us; lettuce, the leaves, and, what are much better, the stumps of cab- 
bages and cauliflowers, they eat with avidity, but they must be given to 
theui with a sparing hand ; turnips, parsneps and even potatoes in a raw 
state we occasionally afford our stock, on an emergency, when better roots 
or good greens are scarce. In the spring time no soft meat is better for 
them than tares, so that they be not wet : in fact, no green ought to be given 
to rabbits when there is much moisture on its surface. We have heard of 
some country persons feeding their rabbits on marshmallows, but we never 
did so ourselves. Dandelions, milk thistles, we know, by long experience, 
they take in preference to all other food, except celery, parsley, and carrots; 
and nothing, we are convinced, as green meat, can be better for them. 

It must be remembered that a doe will eat nearly twice as much when 
suckling as at other times; and, when her litter begin to eat, the allowance 
of food must be gradually increased. In our own Rabbitry we never admit 
cliaff, and grains only, in a dearth of green food. If we can obtain neither 
greens, roots, nor grains, at feeding time, we make it a practice to moisten 
tlie corn with water, milk, or, as we before stated, with tea-leaves. Though 
a rabbit must be restricted from rioting in green or soft meat according to 
Its own appetite, for its own sake, yet it is cruel to afford it only such food as 



RABBITS. 279 

will increase rather than appease its thirst ; for this reason, in such a case as 
we have mentioned, we moisten the grain ; and some rabbits will even do 
well with an occasional table-spoonful of water, beer, or milk ; but it is a 
dangerous experiment to try the effect of a liquid on their stomachs. 

BREEDING. 

The doe will breed at the age of six months; her period of gestation is 
thirty days. The rabbits are not to be left together above ten minutes. 
Some days before kindling, hay is to be given to the doe, with which, and 
the flue which nature has instructed her to tear from her body, she will make 
her nest. Biting the hay into short pieces, and carrying it about in her 
mouth, are almost certain signs of her being with young. The number 
produced Vciries from three to eleven. Destroy the weak and sickly ones, 
as soon as their defects can be perceived, until the litter is reduced to five 
or six. If you leave more to be suckled, some will, perhaps, die, others be 
sickly, and none of them fine. The old rabbits are not to be put together till 
the expiration of six weeks : the young may be separated from the doe and 
weaned a foi tnight after. If more than five or six litters are obtained in a 
year, the doe will be sopn worn out, and the young ones not worth much. 
The doe should not be disturbed by any other rabbit, while with young. 
Should she be weak after kindling, give her a malt mash, scalded fine pol- 
lard, or barley-meal, in which may be mixed a small quantity of cordial 
horse-ball. In this case, and, in fact, whenever a doe is weak, bread — 
soaked in milk, and squeezed rather dry again, if she will take it, will 
considerably strengthen her. 

If well fed, and kept warm, does will breed all the year ; but most fanciers 
are contented with five litters a year, and let them rest during the winter. 
Mowbray states, that the produce of rabbits is so multitudinous, that one 
might be well satisfied with this practice ; for that even four litters in the 
year would be equal to two thousand young rabbits annually, from a stock of 
one hundred does. If does devour their young, or do not breed for any con- 
siderable time, rabbit fanciers dispose of them as useless incumbrances to 
their stock. It is advisable so to manage, that two or tliree does should kin- 
dle about the same time ; you may then take from the doe that has the great- 
est number, and put the excess under her that has the least ; taking care not 
to leave more than six young ones to each. It is advisable to obtain rabbits 
for breeding from a litter of two, three, or four only, as they are generally 
stronger and finer than those which come from a more numerous one. It is 
a disadvantage, rather than otherwise, to have above six produced in a litter, 
as the young rabbits, when that is the case, are almost invariably weak 
and puny ; and even if they be reduced to a moderate quantity, by removing 
some of them to another doe, or otherwise, they rarely become remarkable 
for their size or beauty. 



280 RABBITS. 

DISEASES. 

Diseases may, in a great measure, be prevented, by regularity in feed- 
ing, good food, and cleanliness. The refuse of vegetables should always 
be scrupulously rejected. For the liver complaint, to which rabbits are 
subject, there is nd cure : when they are attacked by it, fatten them, if pos- 
sible, for the table. 

The snuffles are occasioned by damp or cold. If there be any cure for 
tliis disorder, it must be dryness in their hutches and food. 

Squeezed tea-leaves generally restore a doe to health, if weak, or other- 
wise affected after kindling, if the food which we have directed to be given 
at that time, under the head of Breeding, should fail. When old rabbits 
are attacked by a looseness, dry food will, in general, restore them ; but do 
what you will, it is very difficult, and, in most cases, impossible, to save 
young ones from sinking under it ; dry food for them, as well as for the old 
ones, is the only remedy. 

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, 

Be careful to keep your rabbit-hutches particularly clean ; a short hoe, or 
a trowel, and a hand-brush, will be necessary for this purpose. Do no! 
handle your rabbits, particularly the young ones, too much ; when you lift 
them, take them with one hand by the ears, and place the other under the 
lower part of their backs. Never slacken in attention; a neglect of a day 
will do your stock much injury ; while by constant care you may breed to 
great perfection. Those who are fanciful in colors should not only look at 
those of the rabbits they buy for breeding, but also ascertain, if possible, the 
colors of the does they come from ; for rabbits frequently throw litters, in 
which not a single young one of their own color can be found. If there hap- 
pen, for instance, to have been a single cross of gray in your stock for three 
or four generations back, it will frequently appear in stock, although every 
breeding rabbit in your hutches be of a different color. Gray is the most 
difficult of all colors to eradicate ; but even gray rabbits do not always have 
young ones of their own color. 

The more you vary the food, the fatter your rabbits will be ; but observe, 
that when they are once full fat, (to use a term of breeders,) they frequently 
fall off and pine away to bad condition. It is impossible to lay down rules 
for the precise quantity of each sort of food to be allowed ; a little ex- 
perience alone can teach the youthful fancier this secret. 



GUINEA PIGS. 




** A rat without a tail." 

Macbeth. 

These little animals were originally natives of Brazil, but they have long 
been introduced to this and other European countries. They propagate in 
temperate, and even cold climates ; and would be exceedingly numerous, 
had they not, like most other animals whose produce is abundant, a great 
number of enemies . The males frequently devour their own offspring, which 
also suffer much from cats, &c. It is said, however, that rats will carefully 
avoid them ; and under this idea, they are frequently bred by rabbit-fan- 
ciers, for a protection to their young stock against those destructive vermin. 
In a rabbit-house they are by no means troublesome, as they may be suffered 
to run loose under the lower tier of hutches, and will feed on the waste food, 
which is spilled about the floor. If kept up, through choice or necessity, 
they will do best in hutches similar to those made for rabbits ; they need 
not, of course, be of such large dimensions. They will eat bread, grain, 
and, in fact, whatever is commonly given to rabbits ; tea-leaves, however, 
they seem to prefer to all other food, but they ought not to be kept constantly 
on them. 

They breed, according to some naturalists, at two months old, and, it is 
said, have from four to twelve young ones at a time : for our own part, we 
have frequently known them to have two, and never more than six, in a lit- 
ter. In size they are considerably less than a rabbit ; the upper lip is only 



282 GUINEA PIGS. 

half divided ; they have two cutting teeth in each jaw, and their ears are 
broad and erect. They are of varied colors, white, black, and fawn ; the 
tortoise-shell, (i. e.) a mixture of the three colors, is generally preferred. 
Some of the white ones have red eyes, similar to ferrets and white rabbits. 
Their flesh is eatable, but by no means good ; in this country they are never 
used for the table, and have been tasted only, it is presumed, from motives 
of curiosity. They are perfectly harmless, and, unless it be true that they 
keep rats away from rabbit-hutches, altogether useless. They may be 
bought at the shops of the rabbit or pigeon dealers, at from sixpence upward, 
according to their age, shape, and color. 

Nature, which has so abundantly provided the Cape of Good Hope sheep 
with tails, that the farmers, it is said, are frequently obliged to provide 
small wagons to support them, has left the little Guinea pig totally destitute 
of this usual ornament to the hind quarters of animals. Were it not for 
tlieir color, they might, indeed, be properly compared to " A rat without 
a tail." 



PIGEONS. 




Aloft in air the rapid pigeon soars, 

The messenger, by turns, of joy and wo ; 

But heedless ever of her high envoy, 

Even while cleaving yonder distant cloud. 

Her heart is fixed on home, and her loved young ; 

Thus does brute instinct in man's hand become 

A mighty engine. 

The life of this beautiful and useful bird is saiJ to extend to about eight 
years; but it is useless for the purpose of breeding after it has attained half 
that age, and ought then to be destroyed, or it will molest those which are 
in their prime. The pigeon lays two white eggs, and sits fifteen days after 
the second egg is laid. The female keeps to the nest from four or five 
o'clock in the evening until nine the next morning ; she then goes off to 
feed, and the cock takes her place during the day. If the hen delay, the 
cock leaves the nest at the usual time, seeks her out, and drives her to her 
duty ; the hen does the same in case of negligence in this respect on tlie 
part of the cock. 



284 



PIGEONS 



The young ones are usually of different sexes. For the first three days 
after they are hatched, the female seldom leaves them ; after that time, the 
cock and hen attend to feed them indiscriminately. The way in which the 
old supply the young with food is singular : the parent birds collect a quan- 
tity of grain and water in their crops, which are very capacious, and after 
it has lain there until soft and macerated, they cast it up into the throats of 
the young ones. As the young birds acquire strength, the old ones give the 
food less preparation, and at last drive them out to provide in part for them- 
selves; but they are often seen feeding their young ones even when the 
latter are able to fly, and they themselves are going to nest again. The 
young ones, while fed by the cock and hen, are called squabs, rnider six 
months old squeakers, and after that age they are denominated pigeons, 
being in a fit state to mate and breed. 



THE DOVE-COTE, OR PIGEON-HOUSE. 

As many young people will take a pleasure in breeding a little flock of 
birds from a common box, fitted up against a wall or elsewhere, we shall give 

them a few words of advice 
on the subject. The form 
of the box is immaterial ; 
the triangular is, perhaps, 
the best, because it allows 
the wet to run off quickest 5 
it may be made with any 
number of holes, which 
should be suilficiently large 
for the pigeons to turn round 
in them with ease. Shelves 
and partitions of six or eight 
inches deep should run along 
the front, to keep the couples apart, and afford them good resting-places. 
It will be an advantage, if you»can allow two holes between each partition 
for each couple of birds. The box may also be made square ; or in fact, 
according to the convenience or fancy of the individual fitting it up. It 
should be fixed where it will be secure from rats and cats, and ought always 
t3 face a warm quarter ; cold winds being very pernicious to the birds. 




PIGEON LOFTS. 



We shall now proceed to give the young Fancier proper instructions for 
building pigeon lofts, which are used for breeding and keeping the mora 
curious sort of birds, or what are commonly denominated Fancy pigeons. 



PIGEONS. 285 

Many persons convert the spaces between the garrets and the roofs of 
their houses into lofts, by making an aperture in the tiling, which opens on 
a platform, fixed on the outside. It is necessary in this, as in all other casesj 
to erect proper fences to keep out the cats. If possible, for the sake of 
warmth, your loft should face the south or southwest ; but, as it rarely hap- 
pens that convenience will allow of a room being occupied entirely by 
pigeons, it is seldom that the birds are indulged with this advantage. Any 
place, in fact, that is dry, light, airy, and sufficiently commodious, may be 
converted into a good loft. 

The shelves for the breeding place should be fourteen inches, or a little 
more, in breadth ; and if you breed Pouters, there ought to be twenty inches 
between the upper and lower shelves, or otherwise the pigeons will acquire 
a trick of stooping, which will spoil their deportment. Partitions should be 
made in these shelves, about three feet apart, and a slip of board run along 
the front of the lower shelves about four inches high, to keep in the nests. 
This slip should run in a groove, or be otherwise managed so that it may- 
be easily removed, in order to clean out the nests when expedient. A simi- 
lar slip must also be fixed in the middle of each three feet division, which is 
thus adapted for a double nest, in one of which, the old hen may lay in 
quietness without being disturbed by her young ones in the other, as she 
often leaves them when about three weeks old to the care of the cock, and 
goes to nest again. Some Fanciers darken the nest by setting up a board a 
few inches within the edge of the shelves, having an entrance hole cut 
tlirough it ; thus dividing the partition into an outer shelf or landing place, 
and an inner room or nest : in this case, of course, the slip is unnecessary. 
A good contrivance to keep the birds private when setting is, perhaps, 
worth attention, as they are sometimes shy, and set uneasy, or even 
fly off their eggs, in alarm, on any person's entering the loft. Some tame 
pigeons will not make their nests ; to such it will be right to afford a little 
hay. Straw buckets and pans of earthen- ware are used by many Fanciers 
for nests. When the latter are adopted, it is usual to place a brick between 
tliem (there being two pans in every partition) for the convenience of the 
birds, as well as more effectually to divide and support the nest. The pang 
ehould vary in size according to tlie pigeons for which they are intended. 
The straw baskets are in general preferred, as the egg is liable to be broken 
Ml the pan, unless it be strowed with hay, straw, or frail, of which the latter, 
fcr many reasons, is the best for the purpose. 

FEEDING, MATING, &C. 

Gravel should be strowed on the shelves and floor, the birds being fond 
of picking it ; besides, it gives the loft a much cleaner appearance. Clean- 
liness is indispensable ; if you suffer the loft to be filthy, the dirt will produc* 
effects which will be equally annoying to yourself and youi' birds. Do not 



286 PIGEONS. 

handle your squabs or young birds too much, lest you bring an illness on 
them which may prove fatal. 

The common pigeon will, during a great part of the year, seek the princi- 
pal part of its own food, and live upon almost any grain ; the fancy birds 
require delicate food and much attention. Of all grain, old tares prove to 
be the best suited to the nature of these birds ; new tares should be given 
very sparingly, especially to young pigeons, as they are very liable to do 
them much injury. Horse beans are esteemed the next best food to tares ; 
the smallest of these are preferred, especially small ticks. Wheat, barley, 
oats, and peas, ought only to be given now and then for a change of diet, 
as they sometimes hurt them. Rape, canary, and hemp-seed, pigeons 
are immoderately fond of; but these must not by any means be made a 
constant diet. 

Mating or coupling of pigeons is often attended with much difficulty. In 
order to effect it, let two coops be built close together with a partition of 
lath between them, so that the birds may see each other, and they should 
feed out of the same vessels ; by supplying them well with hemp-seed, you 
may soon make them fit for mating, and when you perceive the hen to 
sweep her tail, you may remove her to the cock's pen, and they will soon 
agree. When this convenience is wanting, and you are compelled to put 
them both into the coop at first, put the cock in three or four days before the 
hen, that he may get master of the coop, particularly if the hen be a ter- 
magant, or else they will quarrel so much, that their bickerings will end in 
an irreconcilable hatred. When the pigeons are matched, you can give 
them the run of the loft to choose a nest for themselves, or fix them to one, by 
inclosing them within it, by a latli railing, giving them food and water ia 
plenty for eight or nine days. 

DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 

For the wet roup, give them three or four pepper-corns once in three or 
four days, and steep a handful of green rue in their water, which you may 
let all the pigeons drink of. The dry roup is known by a dry husky cough , 
it proceeds from a cold ; to cure it, give them three or four cloves of garlic 
every day. 

The canker arises from the cocks pecking each other : for this, rub the 
affected part every day with burnt alum and honey. When the flesh round 
tlie eyes is torn or pecked, bathe it with salt water for several days ; if this 
do not prove successful, wash the aggrieved part with two drachms of alum 
dissolved in an ounce and a half of water 

When pigeons are infested with insects, smoke their feathers well with 
tobacco. 

Pigeons are apt to gorge themselves when they have fasted rather longer 
than usual. When this happens, put the bird into a tight stocking with its 



PIGEONS. 287 

feet downward, smoothing up the crop, that the over-loaded bag of meat 
may not hang down ; then hitch up the stocking on a nail, and keep it in this 
posture, supplying it with a little water now and then, till the food is digest- 
ed. When taken out of the stocking, put the bird in an open coop or basket, 
and feed it but very moderately for some time. 

The megrims is a disease, in which tlie pigeon flutters about at random, 
with its head reverted in such a manner that its beak rests upon its back. 
This malady is pronounced incurable. 

When pigeons do not moult freely, put them into some warm place, and 
mix a good quantity of hemp-seed in their common food, and a little saffron 
in tlieir water. 

If they be lame, or the palls of their feet become swelled, either from cold, 
being cut with glass, or any other accident, spread some Venice turpentine 
on a piece of brown paper, and put it to tlie part affected. 



FENCING. 



Wouldst have thy son acquire a graceful port, 
A manly bearing ; — make his eye acute 
As that of the hawk, and his young limbs vie 
With those of roe-bucks in agility ? — 
The noble art of Fencing let him learn. 

In those days, when a small sword was an indispensable ornament to tlie 
person of a gentleman, objections were sometimes raised to the cultivation 
of the art of Fencing, as tending to lead young persons into broils and 
duels ; but nothing can now be said against it on this score ; the wearing of 
swords, except among military men, has long ceased, and duels being inva- 
riably decided in this country by pistols. The art of Fencing is acquired, 
therefore, as the means of affording excellent exercise, elegant amusement, 
and imparting an easy deportment and graceful action, as well as extraordi- 
nary acuteness of eye, and agility of body. That it has these merits, there 
can be no doubt ; and it is, therefore, confidently recommended to youth, as 
being not only perfectly unexceptionable, but even superior, in most respects, 
to all other exercises, 

FOILS, MASKS, &C. 

The foils should be proportioned to the size of those who use them. 
Thirty-one inches is the medium for men ; it is advisable to use a glove 
on the right hand, padded on the back and the outsides of the fingers ; the 
masiks must have wire fronts, stout enough to resist an accidental thrust at 
the face. An easy dress should be worn, and it is usual, in academies, to 
have a spot, or heart, on the left side of the breast of the waistcoat. 

HOW TO HOLD THE FOIL. 

The hilt must be flat in your hand ; so that the two edges arV? nearly hori- 
zontal when you throw yourself upon guard ; your thumb should be stretch- 
ed along the upper flat part of the hilt, within half an inch of the shell, and 
the pommel should rest under your wrist. 

T 



290 



FENCING. 




COMMON GUARDS OF CARTE AND TIERCE. 

Stand in the first position, which is similar to the first position in dancing, 
tiiat is, your right foot fi^rvvard, with the heel advanced ; then throw your- 
self upon the common guard or carte, by advancing your right foot about 
lialf a yard from the left. The two heels should be m the same line. Tuni 
your wrist so that the nails may appear upward. Let your hand be on a 
line with the lower part of your breast ; the arm not stretched, but a little 
bent, and the elbow inclined a little to the outside. The point of your 

foil should be about fifteen de- 
grees elevated, and nearly fixed 
on a line with the upper part 
of your adversary's breast. The 
left arm (which is necessary to 
balance the body in its different 
movements) must be raised in a 
semi-circular manner, on a line 
with the forehead, the hand kept 
open in an easy manner, the 
thumb and first finger nearly 
meeting. Your body should be 
Z^' sideways, and your head turned 
toward the right, so as to keep 
sight of your point. Let tlie 
balance of your body rest upon the left leg, keep the left knee bent, and flexr- 
ible, so that you may incline a little backward ; the right knee should also 
be rather bent, and perpendicular to the point where your right heel rests. 

The position of the guard in tierce is similar to that of carte, only the 
hand must be a little reversed, so that the nails may be half turned down- 
ward. The arm should be a little stretched outward, in order to secure of 
cover the outside, and the point should be as in carte. 

ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING. 

Engaging in carte, or in tierce, is opposing your adversary's blade, either 
inside or outside, when you first join or cross blades on guard. Disengaging 
is performed by dexterously shifting the point of your foil from one side of 
your adversary's blade to the other; that is, from carte to tierce, or viceversii» 

THE ADVANCE AND RETREAT. , 

In order to advance, move the right foot easily forward to the distance of 
more than a foot, and let the left foot instantly follow to the same distance ; 
these two movements must be performed in the same moment. Keep your 
body firm and steady while you repeat this five or six times ; and let there 
be a short pause between every advance. After making five or six ad- 



FENCING. 



291 



varices, observe if the distance and pc-sition of your guard be exactly the 
same as your distance and position were when you commenced. In the 
retreat, your left foot makes the first movement backward, and your right 
follows at the same moment. 

THE SIMPLE PARADES OF CARTE AND TIERCE. 

These are distinguished from all the others, on account of their securing 
the breast, as upper parades. To perform that of carte, place yourself on the 
common guard, and throvi^ your hand toward the left, or inward, about six 
inches from guard, making a gradual turn upward with the wrist, in order 
to throw off your adversary's blade with the greater ease ; at the same time 
draw your hand a little toward your body, that the opposition may be more 
powerful. 

The simple parade of tierce is also performed from the common guard by 
throwing and stretching your arm obliquely downward to tiie right, (or out- 
wardly,) the nails being reversed by the gradual turn of the wrist, in forming 
the parade. It parries the simple thrust of carte over the arm and seconde- 
The distance of the hand from the common guard should be six inches. The 
j point of your foil, your body and legs, should not deviate from the line of 
direction in performing either of these parades. 

THE PARADES OF OCTAVE AND SEMI-CIRCLE. 

To perform the octave parade, raise the hand as high as your chin, the 
nails must not be turned up so much as in semi-circle ; your arm should be 
well stretched and thrown outward, the distance of six inches ; the wrist 
should be bent as much as possible, in order that the point may fall on a 

line with your adversary's flank, 
making nearly the same angle 
from guard-point as semi-circle. 
Semi-circle parade is useful 
against thrusts of low carte, 
seconde, and the disengage and 
thrust of carte over the arm. 
Let your body be steadily in- 
clined upon the left side; drop 
your point, with the nails up- 
ward, so as to form an angle of 
nearly forty-five degrees with 
tlie guard-point. At the same 
time, stretch your ai'm well out, 
raise the hand as high as your 
mouth, and throw your arm inward, the distance of six inches, from the line 
of direction in your common guard, that your point may appear to the eye 
in looking to your arm. ( Vide cut.) 
t2 




292 



FENCING. 




THE SIMPLE PARADES OF SECONDE AND PRIME. 

These two parades are not used so frequently as the preceding four, 
Seconde is veiy powerful against the simple thrusts of low carte an<l 

seconde. To perform it from 
carte to tierce, the nails and 
wrist should be turned down- 
ward, the point be dropped, 
and the hand opposed outward, 
as in the parade of octave. The 
point^s tract from guard is also 
nearly the same with the parade 
in octave, and the inclination of 
the blade should form the angle 
of forty-five degrees. ( Vide cut) 
Prime is performed with the 
nails turned downward, the 
hand raised higher than the 
mouth, and opposed inward, in 
the same manner as semi-circle. The arm should be drawn well in toward 
the body, and the wrist bent downward, that the point may fall more than in 
other low parade. 

THE EXTENSION, LONGE, THRUSTS OF CARTE, CARTE OVER THE 
ARM, AND TIERCE. 

Thrusts are, for the most part, executed with the longe, except thrusts 
of the wrist, and thru&ts of the extension. They may be performed either 

after disengaging the point 
or not. To perform the 
straight thrust of carte 
inside, your point must be 
directed to your adver- 
sary's breast, the arm well 
raised, and opposed in- 
side, the nails upward, 
your body projecting for- 
ward, and an extension 
performed of the right 
arm and left leg. ( Vide 
cut, which represents the 
position of extension.) 
Then push home the thrust 
k carte by longeing out to a distance proportionate with your height. Your 




FENCING. 



293 




left arm should be stretched down by the flank, at the distance of two or 
three inches, and always raised as you recover upon guard, by way of grace 

and balance to your move- 
ments. Your body should 
incline a little forward; 
the head be raised up- 
right, looking outward 
over the shoulders, so as to 
have a full view of the 
point. As you approach 
your adversary's breast, 
make a gradual resistance 
against his foil inward, by 
way of cover to your 
longe. Keep the right 
knee bent, and in a per- 
pendicular posture with 
your heelj the left knee 
and ham stretched, with the foot firmly fixed to the ground. 

To recover yourself with the requisite ease, lean with some degree of 
force on the heels of both feet ; the greatest force is first upon the right, then 
it falls on the left; by bending the left knee at the same time, and inclining 
the body backward, you come to guard. The thrust of carte over the arm 
is performed in the same manner as carte inside, by disengaging to tierce, 
with this difference, that the head is raised upright on the inside, and the 
hand well opposed outward, in order to be well covered. The thrust of 
tierce differs only from carte over the arm, by reversing the wrist, the hand 
being well raised and opposed outward. 

LOW CARTE, OCTAVE, SECONDS, AND PRIME THRUSTS. 

Low carte, sometimes called semi-circle thrust, is delivered after forming 
the parade of semi-circle, in the same manner as simple carte thrust; only 
the hand and point must be fixed lower. It is an excellent thrust, if your 
adversary have frequent recourse to his high parades. 

Octave thrust is delivered after the parade of octave, on the flank or belly ; 
tlie arm being well opposed outward. If you parry your adversary's thrust 
by octave, your return will naturally be the thrust of octave, which may, at 
the same time, touch him with the extension only, without the longe. 

The thrust in seconde is delivered after the parade of the tierce, or when 
engaged by tierce, by dropping your point under your adversary's wrist with 
the nails downward ; longe and deliver the thrust on the flank. 

Prime is the natural thrust in return, after having parried your adversary's 



294 



FENCING. 



force, when advanced considerably within his measure, and pressing vig- 
orously upon you. It is only an extension of the arm from the opposition of 
the parade to your adversary's body, the nails being kept downward. The 
arm should be well raised, aud opposed inward. 

VARIATIONS AND LESSON ON ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING, AD- 
VANCING AND RETREATING, SIMPLE PARADES, AND THRUSTS 
OF CARTE AND TIERCE. 

Suppose you are engaged in carte with an adversary, he retreats, yon 
advance, well covered in carte ; he retreats again, you advance with a dis- 
engagement to tierce, and so forth, alternately ; taking care that you are 
properly covered on each engagement; his retreat and your advance should 
be comprehended in the same moment of time ; in the same manner, you 
may retreat while he advances. On the engagement of carte, your adver- 
sary delivers a thrust in carte; oppose it by forming your parade in carte, 
then return the straight thrust thereof. He again thrusts straight in the same 
manner; also throw it off by forming your parade in carte, deliver in return 
the thrust of carte over the arm, by disengaging to tierce. On the engage- 
ment in tierce, he disengages and thrusts carte inside ; throw it off by your 
parade in carte, disengage, and thrust carte over the arm; he parries, and 
returns in tierce, which you parry by a parade in tierce, and longe home 
vv ith a straig'ht thrust in tierce. 

LESSONS AND VARIATIONS IN SEMICIRCLE, LOW CARTE, AND OCTAVE. 

On the engagement of carte, drop your point and deliver the thrust of 
low carte. On the same engagement, your adversary thrusts straight 

home ; throw it off by pa- 
rade in carte, then deliver 
a return of the thrust in 
low carte. On the same 
engagement, disengage to 
tierce, and thrust carte 
over the arm; he opposes 
it with his parade, and re- 
turns a disengaged thrust 
in carte ; which throw off 
with the parade of carte ; 
then, with vivacity, drop 
ll^-~ your point, and deliver a 
thrust in low carte. On 
the engagement of tierce, your adversary, by disengaging, attempts to de- 
liver a thrust in low carte ; throw it off by performing the parade of octave 
( Vide cut ;) then make a quick return of the thrust in octave. 

On the engagement of carte, he thrusts low carte, parry it by octave; 




FENCING. 



295 



instantly form your extension, fix your point well to his body, and you may 
almost make sure of touching him. ( Vide cut.) 




On the engagement of carte, he disengages to tierce, and thrusts ; throw 
It off by your parade of tierce ; then reverse your nails upward, and return 
a thrust in octave. 

On the same engagement, he thrusts low carte, oppose it by forming your 
parade in semi-circle ; then deliver a thrust in octave, by disengaging over 
his arm, commonly called a counter disengagement. 

LESSON AND VARIATIONS IN PRIME AND SECONDE. 

On the engagement of tierce, your adversaiy advances within his meas- 
ure, and delivers a thrust in tierce or carte over the arm; oppose his blade 
by the parade of prime, and return a thrust in prime. ( Vide cut.) 




296 FENCING, 

On the same engagement, he advances, disengages, and forcibly thrtrstar 
carte ; drop your point, and parry it with prime ; tlien disengage over his 
arm, and return a thrust in seconde. 

On the engagement of carte, he disengages, and thrusts carte over the 
arm ; parry it with simple tierce, and return a thrust in tierce j he advances^ 
as you recover, witliin his measm-e, forcing upon your blade ; form your 
parade in prime, and deliver a quick return of the thrust thereof. On the 
same engagement, he again disengages, and thrusts carte over the arm^ 
which parry with tierce, and return the thrust thereof; he forces a thrust 
without advancing, parry it with prime, then disengage over the arm, and 
return your thrust in seconde. 

THE SALUTE, 

Place yourself on guard, engage your adversary's. blade on the outside j 
by way of compliment, desire him to thrust first at you j then drop your 
point, by reversing the nails downward, with a circular motion } draw your 
right foot close behind the left, stretching both hams ; raise your right arm^, 
and, with your left hand, take off your hat gracefully ; then make a circular 
motion with your wrist, with the nails upward, while you advance your right; 
foot forward, forming your proper extension. Your adversary makes the 
same motions, keeping equal time with you ; but, instead of forming the ex- 
tension, he makes a full longe, as if going to thrust carte inside, in order to> 
take his measure, presenting his point at a little distance from your body^ 
while you remain uncovered on the extension. ( Vide cut.} 



When your adversary recovers his position, after having taken his mea- 
sure, you also recover by drawing the right foot or heel close to the heel 
of the left; the right hand well stretched and raised, the nails upward, and 
the point dropped; the left hand raised in a semi-circular form, as if on 
guard, your hat held therein wath ease and gracefulness ; the head upright^ 



FENCING. 



297 



and the hams stretched. In this attitude, salute first in carte, by forming 
that parade ; then, salute in tierce, by forming the parade of tierce ; lastly, 
make a circular motion with the wrist, by dropping your point in tierce, at 
that moment putting on your hat, and throwing yourself upon the guard 
of carte. 

When it is your turn to push, the salute only differs in one particular 
fi'om the above ; that is, instead of forming the extension, and uncovering 
the body, you make a full longe fi'om the first position of the right foot behind 
the left in carte ; then, recover to the second position, by placing the right 
foot or heel close to the heel of the left ; and conclude with the other move- 
ments. All these motions should be performed with ease, grace, and with- 
out precipitation. After performing the salute, and being engaged in carte, 
your adversary, agreeably to the compliment offered, pushes at your breast 
by disengaging nimbly to tierce, and thrusting carte over the arm. Ob- 
serve, that the. wrist is never reversed when he disengages ; oppose it by 
performing the parade of tierce, then drop the point, by way of accustoming 
yourself to make the return in seconde, which may be termed the grace on 
the parade of tierce. Remain on this grace till your adversary recovers U> 
guard } then join his blade in tierce ; he disengages, by thrusting carte in- 
side ; throw it off by forming the parade of carte. 

The grace or ornament to be used after forming this parade, while your 
adversary is upon the longe, is by allowing the foil to remain flexible in your 
iiand, with the point downward, keeping your hand in the same direction as 
if covered upon the parade. 

Your adversary, after pushing tierce and carte alternately, commences 
the salute ; and while he is on the extension, you take the measure by longe- 
ing in carte. Having joined blades in carte, disengage, and thrust carte 
over the arm. Again, he joins your blade in tierce, disengage nimbly, and 
thrust carte inside. ( Vide cut) 




298 



FENCING, 



He opposes In carte ; then let the blade and point fly loosely over the hand, 
having hold of your foil between the thumb and two first fingers, by which 
you will have a view of your adversary through the angle made thereby. 
This is the grace upon the longe of carte inside. 

THE COUNTER, OR ROUND PARADES, IN CARTE AND TIERCE, 

The counter-parade in carte, is esteemed one of the most essential, as 
it baffles a variety of thrusts, throws off the disengagements over the arm, 
&c. In order to perform it when your adversary disengages, follow his 
blade closely, with a small circle, entirely from the motion of the wrist, by 
which you join his blade always in carte. If he make a thrust with the dis- 
engagement, oppose it, by gradually covering yourself with the parade of 
Carte, after having followed his blade round. 

The counter, or round parade in tierce, is performed in a similar manner 
to the counter-parade of carte, only that the course of the point is reversed. 
For example ; your adversary disengages to carte, with a view to thrust 
carte inside ; follow his blade closely, with a smaH circle, made by the mo- 
tion of the wrist reversed in tierce, stretching your arm, and giving his blade 
a smart and abrupt throw-off, as you overtake or meet it in tierce. The 
course of the point in forming the counter in carte is inward, from left to 
right ; and in the counter-parade of tierce, the contrary. 

COUNTER DISENGAGEMENTS IN OCTAVE AND SEMI-CIRCLE. 

The counter-disengagement in octave may be performed after your adU 
versary has thrust in seconde, and you have parried by semi-circle ^ as he 
£3ecovers, counter-disengage, and thrust in octave. ( Vide cut,) 




FENCING. 299 

To give a further exemplification of the counter-disengagement in octave? 
it is also performed by first making a feint, as if you intended to thrust oc- 
tave ; he naturally opposes it, by forming his parade in octave ; then nimbly 
disengage over his arm to carte inside, and deliver either that thrust, or the 
thrust of low carte. 

The counter-disengagement in semi-circle is performed on the engage- 
ment of carte, when your adversary accustoms himself to take the parade 
of semi-circle, by first making a feint, as if you meant to thrust low carte, 
which he attempts to parry with semi-circle, then nimbly disengaging over 
his arm, and delivering your thrust in octave. 

THE COUNTER-DISENGAGEMENTS IN PRIME AND SECONDE. 

*nie counter-disengagement in prime is seldom used in attacks ; but being 
so nearly related to prime parade and thrust, we shall here describe it. It 
is performed from the engagement of tierce, by forcing on your adversary's 
blade, if he betake himself to the parade of prime, then nimbly disengaging 
over his arm, and delivering your thrust in seconde. 

The counter-disengagement of seconde may be more frequently used ;, 
it is performed from the engagement of carte, by dropping your point, of 
making a feint, as if you intended to thrust prime ; your adversary opposes 
it, by performing the parade of seconde ; then disengage over his arm, and 
deliver your thrust by longeirig in prime. 

I.ESSONS AND VARIATIONS ON THE CO-UNTER-PARADES IN CARTE AND TIERCE^ 
AND THE COUNTER DISENGAGEMENTS IN OCTAVE, &C. 

On the engagement of carte, disengage and thrust carte over the arm; 
your adversary opposes it, by forming the counter-parade of carte. Upon 
recovering, he, in return, disengages and thrusts carte over the arm ; oppose 
it by counter-parade in carte, &c. ; disengagmg and parrying alternately, 
always making complete longes with the tlurusts, and moving well to guard, 
while forming the counter-parades. Make your movements very slow and 
exact in the beginning, and gradually quicken them. Exercise on the en- 
gagement of tierce in the same manner : first, by disengaging and thrusting 
carte inside, which he opposes, by forming the counter-parade in tierce ; 
in return, he disengages and thrusts carte inside, which parry with the 
counter-parade in tierce, &c. : thrusting and parrying as above, until you 
quicken your movements with all possible exactness. 

On the engagement of tierce, if your adversary thrust octave in low carte, 
you may parry it with octave ; then counter-disengage, and deliver a 
tlirust in low carte. On the same engagement, he counter-disengages, and 
thrusts low carte, which oppose by your counter-parade in octave, and re- 
turn the thrust thereof. On the same engagement, he again counter-disen- 



300 FENCmG. 

gageSj and thrusts low carte, which you may baffle by first forming the 
parade of octave, then forming the parade of semi-circle quickly after the 
other ; and, as he recovers, counter-disengage, and thrust octave. 

On the engagement of tierce, advance within measure, forcing upon 
your adversary's blade ; he betakes himself to the simple parade of prime ; 
counter-disengage, and thrust seconde. On the same engagement, he ad- 
vances, forces, and counter disengages as above ; but baffle his thrust in 
seconde, by the counter-parade in prime, and return the thrust thereof. On 
the same engagement, he counter- disengages ; follow his blade by the 
counter-parade in prime ; if he attempt to double or disengage again, stop 
him, by forming your simple parade of seconde. 

On the engagement of carte, counter-disengage, when your adversary 
drops in seconde, and thrusts prime. On the same engagement, he counter- 
disengages, when you drop to seconde; oppose it, by your parade of 
seconde ; then return a straight thrust in seconde. Or if, on the same en- 
gagement, he make a straight thrust in seconde, you may parry it with semi- 
circle, and return low carte thrust. On the same engagement, he counter- 
disengages, answer his movements by forming the simple parades of seconde 
and prime; then counter-disengage as he recovers, and deliver a thrust in 
seconde. 

FEINTS. ^ 

Feints are used to oblige your adversary to give you openings. The 
simple feint, une, deux, (or one, two,) is performed by two separate disen- 
gagements, either on the engagement of carte or tierce, when your adver- 
sary throws his simple parades. If engaged in carte, disengage closely to 
tierce, then quickly disengage back to carte, and deliver the thrust thereof 
On the engagement of tierce, disengage first to carte, then disengage back 
to tierce, delivering the thrust of carte over the arm. 

Feint seconde, carte over the arm, is performed when engaged in tierce, 
by dropping your point, and reversing the nails, as if you meant to thrust 
seconde ; then quickly turn them upward, and deliver the thrust of carte 
over the arm. On the same engagement, you may mark feint seconde, and 
thrust carte inside, if there be an opening. 

Feints une, deux, trois, (or one, two, three,) are performed by three sepa- 
rate disengagements, either from the engagement of carte or tierce. On 
the engagement of carte, mark feint, one, two, as above ; if your adversary 
form his simple parade of carte, nimbly mark your third disengagement, by 
tlirusting carte over the arm. On the engagement of tierce, disengage 
three times, and deliver your thrust in carte inside. 

CUT OVER THE POINT. 

This is performed when you perceive your adversary hold his hand low, 
and his point is raised upon guard. To perform it from carte to tierce. 



FENCING. 301 

false your point quickly, with tlie upward motion of your wrist, fairly over 
your adversary's point, without moving your arm from the line of direction, 
at the same time forming your extension, and deliver your thrust of carte 
over the arm. 

In the same manner you may execute cuts over the point, from the en- 
gagement of tierce, when your adversary holds his point high. 

THRUST OF THE WRIST. 

This is performed when you perceive your adversary slow in making a 
return, after you have longed with a thrust ; us on the engagement of carte, 
suppose you thrust carte over the arm, which your adversary naturally par- 
ries with simple tierce, lean with some degree of force upon his blade, and, 
as you recover to guard, deliver him a thrust with the wrist in seconde. 

RETURN ON THE EXTENSION. 

This is performed after your adversary makes a full longe with a thrust, 
which you may parry so powerfully, as to throw his arm out of the line of 
direction; then, with all possible quickness, extend your arm, and deliver 
him a straight thrust in return, before he has time to recover. If the exten- 
sion of the arm be not within reach, from your complete extension of the 
leg and arm. 

APPELS, BEATS ON THE BLADE, AND GLIZADES. 

Appels, beats, and glizades, tend to plant you firm upon your guard, to 
embarrass your adversary, and cause him to give you openings ; they may 
be performed previously to simple thrust, feints, or counter-disengagements, 
&c. An appel, or beat with the foot is performed either on the engagement 
of carte or tierce, by suddenly raising and letting fall the right foot, with a 
beat on the same spot ; taking care to balance the body, and keep a good 
position on guard. 

The beat on the blade, is abruptly touching your adversary's blade, so as 
to startle him, and get openings to thrust. If he resist the beat, instantane- 
ously disengage, and thrust home. If he use a simple parade, mark feint 
one, two ; or, if he use a counter-parade, counter-disengage, or double. 

Glizades are slightly gliding your blade along your adversary's, at the 
same time forming the extension, of the arm, or the complete extension, 
managing and restraining your body, so as to be aware of his thrust, and to 
make sure of your own. If you be engaged in carte, out of measure, a quick 
advance, with a glizade, must infallibly give you some openings, eitlier to 
mark feints or otherwise. 

THE TIME-THRUST. 

This thrust is performed when your adversary is dilatory. On attempting 
to deliver this thrust, cover yourself well, by forming a gradual and string 



^02 FENCIN1G. 

opposition to your adversary's blade ; you can be in no danger of exposing 
yourself to an interchanged thrust, that is, a thrust at the same moment. 

LESSONS AND VARIATIONS TO FEINTS, APPELS, &C. 

On the engagement of carte, mark feint one, two, and thrust carte inside. 
On the engagement of tierce, feint one, two, and thrust carte over the arm. 
On the engagement of carte, mark a feint over the arm, and thrust low carte. 
On the same engagement, mark feint over the arm, reverse the wrist, and 
thrust seconde. 

On the engagement of tierc'j, mark feint seconde, reverse the wrist, and 
thrust carte over the arm. On the same engagement, mark feint seconde^ 
and thrust carte inside. On the engagement of carte, in attempting the 
feints one, two, if he bafi9e it by his counter-parade in carte, counter-disen^ 
gage, and deliver the thrust of carte over the arm. 

On the engagement of carte, suppose your adversary hold his guard low, 
and his point high, make a cut over the point, forming your extension, and 
thrust carte over the arm. On the engagement of carte, cut over the point ; 
if he use a simple parade, disengage, and thrust carte inside. On the en- 
gagement of tierce, if your adversary hold his hand low, and point high, 
make a cut over the point, and -thrust carte inside. On the same engagement, 
cut over the point twice, and deliver the thrust of carte over the arm. On 
the same engagement, cut over the point twice, then disengage, and thrust 
carte inside. On the same engagement, cut over the point, then mark 
feints one, two, and thrust carte inside. 

On the engagement of carte, disengage to tierce, and thrust carte over 
the arm ; if your adversary form his simple parade in tierce, and be slow in 
making a return, deliver him a thrust with the wrist in seconde, as you re- 
cover. On the engagement of tierce, disengage and thrust carte inside, or 
low carte ; if he parry it with octave, disengage over his arm as you recover, 
and deliver him a thrust in low carte. On the engagement of carte, disen- 
gage and thrust seconde ; if he parry it with seconde, counter disengage as 
vou recover, and thrust prime. On the engagement of tierce, force upon 
Lis blade, disengage and thrust low carte : he parries it with prime, and if 
slow in making a return, deliver the thrust in seconde with the wrist, as you 
recover. 

On the engagement of carte, give him some openings ; if he mark the 
feints one, two, and thrust, form your counter parade in carte ; then deliver 
him a quick return with the wrist in low carte, by forming the complete ex-r-jj^ 
tension. On the engagement of tierce, in like manner, give him some 
openings : if he mark feints one, two, and thrust, form your counter parade 
in tierce ; and, on the extension, deliver him a thrust in seconde. On the 
engagement of carte, if he execute low feints and thrusts, use the circle pa- 
rade, and return a straight thrust on the extension, before he recovers. 



FENCING. SOS 

On the engagement of carte, make an appel, or beat with the right foot, 
ftt the same time beating abruptly on your adversary's blade, which will 
give you an opening to thrust carte straight home. On the same engage- 
ment, make an appel, beat his blade, then disengage, and thrust carte over the 
arm. On the engagement of tierce, make an appel, beat his blade, and 
thrust tierce or carte over the arm. On the same engagement, make an 
appel, beat his blade, then disengage, and deliver a thrust in carte inside- 
On the engagement of tierce, make your appel, disengage to carte, by 
beating his blade, and thrust carte inside. 

On the engagement of tierce, perform a glizade along his blade, with the 
extension ; if he do not cover himself, deliver a straight thrust in carte over 
the arm. On the engagement of carte, make a glizade, drop your point, 
end deliver a thrust in low carte. On the engagement of tierce, perform a 
glizade, drop your point under his wrist, and deliver a thrust in octave. 

On the engagement of tierce, he disengages to carte, then disengage con- 
trarily, and thiust home carte over the arm. On the engagement of carte, 
when you find that your adversary holds his hand too low upon guard, and 
deviates from the guard rules, seize the opening, by pushing carte straight 
home. On the engagement of tierce, having the like opportunity, deliver 
the thrust of carte over the arm, straight home. 

On the engagement of carte, yom* adversary disengages to tierce ; that in- 
Btant disengage contrarily, (that is, to carte,) and push home. ( Vide cut.) 




All these lessons should be performed repeatedly, and the pupil should 
often exercise with another who has had equal practice, executing all thrusts, 
feints, counter-disengagements, &c. while the other remains upon guard, 
making use of the necessary parades, &c. ; he should then, in turn, perform 
the practical movements, in order that both may make mutual progress 
in the art. 



504 



FENCING. 



THE SALUTE PREVIOUS TO ASSAULTS. 

On the engagement of tierce, make two quick appels, or beats, with the 
right foot ; bring it close behind the left, near the shoe-tie, raising and 
stretching your right arm with the nails upward, and the point of your foil 
dropped ; at the same time, take off your hat gracefully, and hold it in your 
left hand, stretched down near the flank ; then, with a circular motion of the 
wrist, as if forming the counter in tierce, throw your left foot backwards, to 
the distance of your common guard, and raising your left hand, make two 
other appels ; bring your left foot forward to the former position, that is, be- 
fore the right, near the shoe-tie ; at the same time, stretching yom- arm, with 
the nails upward as before, and in that position, form gracefully the parades 
of carte and tierce ; make a circular motion with the WTist, and advance 
your right foot, with vivacity, to your original guard, at the same time 
covering your head. All the movements in this salute should be performed 
in a more lively manner than those described in the salute previously to 
thrusting carte and tierce : observe, also, that these movements should keep 
oxactly the same time with those of your adversary. 

DISARMING. 

After parrying your adversary's thrust by simple carte, or the counter in 
carte, without quitting his blade, lean abruptly thereon, and binding it with 
yours, reverse your wrist, with the nails downward, as if in seconde, and 
^vith the motion thereof, give his blade an abrupt twirl. ( Vide cut,) 




If this do not disarm him, it will throw his hand and blade out of tli« 
line of direction, so that you may effectually fix your point, and deliver 
him a thrust in seconde 



FENCING. 



305 



Also, after parrying by simple tierce, cross his blade before he recovers ; 
make a strong and abrupt circular movement with your wrist in seconde 
without quitting his blade, and it will either disarm, or give you an opening 
to deliver him a thrust. 

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 

Assume a bold air and steady position ; fix your eyes firmly on those of 
your adversary, so that he may not penetrate into your designs ; and keep 
your proper distance and measure. It is a most essential point in assaults, 
exactly to know these : for this purpose, observe the height of your adver- 
sary, the length of hjs foil, &c., and make the necessary allowances ac- 
cordingly. If he make frequent practice of disengaging, beating your blade, 
and otherwise embarrassing you, with a view to get openings, you may 
seize tlie occasion to deliver a time-thrust, taking care to cover yourself 
well, by forming a good opposition against his blade. When on the en- 
gagement of carte, by way of snare, hold your point higher than usual; if 
he attempt to make a cut over the point, that instant disengage contrarily, 
and thrust carte inside ; or you may, in preference to this, deliver a straight 
thrust in carte over the arm. ( Vide cut) 




Be not too eager in making your thrusts in return ; as, by an over eager- 
ness, learners contract a habit of returning their thrust by crooking the arm 
which is quite erroneous. Form your parades justly, and accustom yourself, 
at first, to make straight returns without disengaging. If you intend to re- 
turn a thrust by disengaging, you should perform it the moment your adver- 
sary is recovering ; it must proceed from the motion of the wrist, and not by 
crooking the arm. The distance of your guard should be moderate, two 
feet is the di.strvjice fir nien : by a wide guard, you keep your adversary at 
u 



306 



FENCING. 



too great a distance, and have not that necessary command of throwing 
your body back far enough, when he advances and makes a full longe ; 
neither can you retreat, or make returns with the necessary quickness ; the 
lower part of the body is also more exposed than it would be on a proper 
medium guard. 

Never extend yourself too far on the longe, as it impedes your recovering 
to guard with the necessary quickness. Always endeavour to recover quick- 
ly, and with as much ease as possible, fixing your point to your adversary's 
body, and forming the most natural parade, in case he should make a quick 
return. If engaged with an adversary of a shorter stature, attack him on 
the engagement of tierce, as being more advantageous for a number of feints 
and thrusts than the engagement of carte, particularly for feint seconde over 
the arm, &c. 

If your adversary advance within his measure, and force in a straight 
thrust, carte over the arm, or in tierce, then raise and bend your arm, 
forming the parade of prime, and quickly return a straight thrust in prime, 
before he recovers ; or, if you have not opening sufficient, disengage over 
his arm, and deliver a thrust in seconde. 

When you first enter upon the assault, you may engage your adversary's 
blade out of measure in carte, as being easier tlian the other engagements 
for executing your different movements. ( Vide cut.) 




When you engage your adversary's blade, act on the defensive for some- 
time, in order to discover what feints or thrusts he prefers. Vary your 
parades as much as possible so that he may not, in turn, ascertain your own 
favorites ; for, if a good fencer be found to use one parade in preference to 
another, he may be deceived with much less difficulty than might be imagin- 



FENCING, 307 

-ed, and, eventually, be touched^ by a person far less skilful than himself. A 
learner, therefore, should practice aU the parades, and change them continu- 
ally, or, at least, as often as opportunities occur. He should endeavour to 
go from the high to tlie low parades, and from the latter to the former, with 
llie utmost possible agility, until, by practice, he is enabled to parry almost 
every thiiist. 

If you engage the blade in carte, cover your inside a little, and if m 
tierce, cover your outside, to present straight thrusts on those engagements. 
When attacking, it is well to disengage dexterously, outside and inside, 
forming your extension as if you intended to thrust ; if tliis plan do not af- 
ford you some openings, it will, at least, in all probability, be the means of 
discovering your adversary's choice parades. If he use simple parades only, 
you may easily deceive him by making feints one, two, or one, two, three. 
If, on the contrary, he be a skilful fencer, and use various counter-parades, 
you must endeavour to embarrass him, by appels, beats on the blade, exr 
tensions, glizades,, counter-disengagements, &c. 



INDEX. 



Accommodation, the triple, 215 
Accomplices, the four, 200 
Adv.ince and Retreat, 290 
iEolian Harp, 223 
Alphabet, Deaf and Dumb, 40 
Amalgamation and Separation, 177 
Amusements, Arithmetical, 95 
Amusements, Optical, 109 
Amusements, Chemical, 125 
Anagram, Combinations of an, 107 
Anagrams, 252 
Anamorphosis, 123 
Angler, 263 
Anglers, Rules for, 271 
Apparition, 119 
Appels, (in fencing,) 302 
Arch-board, game of, 11 
Archer's Position, 48 
Archery, 43 

Arithmetical Amusements, 95 
Arithmetical Mousetrap, 108 
Anovvs, construction of, described, 

45 
Ascliam, (in Archery,) 46 
Automata, 187 
Automaton Canary, 193 
Awn of Barley Hydrometer, 225 

Back, to swim and float on the, 69 

Baits, 265 

Baits, Natural 268 



Balanced Stick, 158 
Ball, the great wooden, 71 
Balls, games with, 15 
Bandy Ball, 18 
Basket and stones, 107 
Baste the Bear, 29 
Battledore and Shuttlecock, 27 
Batsman, 52 
Bats and Balls, 52 
Beats on the blade, (in fencing,) 901 
Belt, Archer's, 46 
Bird in the Box, 160 
Blindman's Buff, 29 
Blue Bottle, 180 
Bogle Bodkin, 161 
Book, the Flying, 66 
Bost-about, 9 

Bottle lifted by a straw, 157 
Bottle ejectment, 157 
Bottle Imps, 160 
Bottle, mysterious, 162 
Bow, construction of, described^ 44 
Bow, to string, 47 
Bowing Beau, 162 
Bowler, 52 

Bow-string described, 45 
Brace, (in Archery,) 46 
Breast to Mouth, 73 
Bridge of Knives, 153 
Buchan, Dr. his remarks on Bath- 
ing, 76 



310 



INDEX, 



Buck, game of, 37 

Butterflies, to take Impression of, 

on paper, 224 
Butts, (in Archery,) 46 

Camera Lucida, 114 

Camera Obscura, 110 

Camera pbscura. Magnifying, 112 

Camera Objgcura, Prismatic, 112 

Canary, Automaton, 193 

Cancelled figure, guessed, 105 

Candle ends, eatable, 153 

Candle invisibly extinguished, 136 

Candle of Ice, 180 

Candle lighted by smoke, 155 

Candle lighted by a glass of water, 

187 
Card in a Cherry-stone, 203 
Card in the Mirror, 204 
Card in the Pocket-book, 206 
Card in the Egg, 202 
Card made to jump out of the pack, 

199^ 
Card, marching, 205 
Card, noted, named, 198 
Card nailed to the wall, 201 
Card Puzzle, 219 
Card thought of, to tell blindfoki, 

196 
Cards, Tricks with, 195 
Card turned into a bird, 199 
Card revealed by a pinch of snuff, 

201 
Card under the Hat, 201 
Carte and Tierce, simple Parades 

of, 291 
Carte, low, 293 
Carte, Thrusts of, 292 
Carte over the arm, 292 
Casting the line, 270 
Cat and Mouse, 28 
Hi Catch Ball, 17 
^ Catch- Penny, 73 



Century, Magical, 104 

Certain Game, 104 

Chair, to take from under you with- 
out falling, 72 

Chairing the leg, 67 

Chameleon, Mineral, 182 

Charades, 232 

Chemical Samson, 187 

Cherry Cheat, 215 

Chess-player, Automaton, 187 

Chinese Shadows, 121 

Clout Shooting, 49 

Coin, doubled, 158 

Colors, transmutation of, 134 

Combinations of an Anagram, 107 

Combustion and Explosion, 129 

Combustion in and under Water, 
131 

Combustion by concentration of the 
Sun's rays, 130 

Comical Cards, 229 

Confederate Signals, 205 

Confederate Water-drop, 200 

Conflagration, mimic, 179 

Conjuror's Joke, 155 

Conqueror, Game of, 10 

Conundrums, 236 

Copying Machine, substitute for, 
226 

Corks and Bladders, 82 

Counter changed, 163 

Cramp, when swimming, how to re- 
lieve, 91 

Cricket, Game of, described, 51 

Cricket Balls, 52 

Cricket Bats, 52 

Cricket, Laws of, 54 
I Cross, curious, 213 
I Crystallization upon Cinders, 227 
I Crystallization of Salts, 126 
j Crystals, magnificent, 226 
j Cut Lace joined, 163 
I Cut over the point, 300 



INDEX. 



311 



Deaf and Dumb Alphabet, 39 
Deaf made to liear, 224 
Deception, simple, 165 
Demi-amputation, 170 
Dice guessed unseen, 105 
Dick, Duck, and Drake, 30 
Dinner party, 106 
Disarming, 304 

Disengaging, (in Fencing,) 294 
Disengagen>8nts in Octave and 

Semi-circle, 299 
Disengagements in Prime and 

Seconde, 299 
Diving, 90 

Dot and carry two, 66 
Double Dozen, 197 
Double Funnel, 171 
Dove-cote, 284 
Dragoon, praucing, 161 
Draughts, 139 
Driyohts, Games for practice in, 

143 
Draughts, Laws of, 142 
Draughts, Rules for playing, 140 
Drawing t!ie Oven, Game of, 36 
Dropping the 'Kerchief, 37 
Duck, Game of, 35 
Dye, Wonderful, 178 

Eclipse Glass, 228 

Eels, 267 

Egg, travelling, 158 

Egg Box, 169 

EgjT, sentinel, 153 

Egg, dancing, ISO 

Egg in the Fhial, 280 

Egg-shells, engraving on, 229 

Elements, the four, 182 

Enchanted Cock, 155 

Engaging, (in Fencing,) 290 

Engraving on Egg-shells, 229 

Enigmas, 241 

Exploding Taper, 136 



: Extension, (in Fencing,) 292 

Faded Rose restored, 179 

Fascinated Biid, 156 

Feet to show, the, in swimming, 90 

Feints, 300 

Fencing, 289 

Finger-feat, 70 

Fingers, to step through your own, 

65 
Fire, Green, 132 
Fire, Green, under Water, 131 
Fire, Red, 132 
Fire, Yellow, 132 
Fire under Water, 152 
Fire and Wine Bottle, 171 
Fishing Rods, 264 
Fishing Lines, 264 
Fishing Hooks, 265 
Fives, Game of, 15 
Flight Shooting, 49 
Flight of the Ring, l70 
Floating Beacon, 154 
Floats, 265 
Flowers, various, to produce from 

one stem, 227 
Flute Player, 190 
Fly-fishing, natural, 268 
: Fly-fishing, artificial, 269 
Flying Steps, 64 
Flying Book, 66 
I Foils, 289 
Foil, how to hold the, 289 
Follow my Leader, 24 
Foot-Ball, 17 
Forcing a Card, 196 
Forty-five, the famous, 214 
Franklin's Advice to Swimmers, 

77 
French and English, 31 
Fruit and Flowers made to grow in 

Winter, 224 



I 



312 



INDEX. 



Game of the Bag, 101 
Game of the Ring, 100 
Game, the certain, 104 
Games with Marbles, 9 
Games with Balls, 15 
Gas-factor, 138 
Gas, Laughing, 22.9 
Gathering of the Clans, 198 
Geometrical Money, 212 
Glass, to cut, 228 
Glizades, 301 
Globe Box, 172 
Glove, Archer's, 45 
Glow-worm in Gas, 13S 
Goblet, perilous, 155 
Goff, Game of, 1-8 
Grease-box Archer's, 46 
Guards of Carte and Tierce, 290 
Guinea Pigs, 281 
Gymnastic Exercises, 59 
Gymnastic Recreations^ 65 
Gymnastics, 57 

Half-crown upheld, 162 

Hand, to dip in water without wet- 
ting, 181 

Handkerchief Hearth, 176 

Handkerchief, mutilated, restored, 
170 

Harlequin Inks, 227 

Hat Ball, 16 

Hatched Bird, 172 

Heart and Ball Puzzle, 220 

Heart, the buried, 205 

Heat and Cold, 128 

Hide and Seek, 34 

Hippas, 84 

Hodge and his Hay, 221 

Holes, (at Marbles,) 10 

Hooks, Fishing, 265 

Hoop, 28 

Hop Scotch, 32 

Hop, Step, and Jump, 36 



: Horizontal Bar, 61 
Horse-dealer's bargain, 106 
Hamming-Top, 13 
Hunt the Slipper, 35 
Hydrometer, 225 

Hydrometer, the awn of Barley, 
225 

Ignition by compression, 186 
Ignition by percussion, 186 
Illuminator and Extinguisher, 187 
Illusioixs, singular, 124 
Impossibility made possible, 213 
Increase Pound, Game of, IZ 
Inks, Harlequin, 227 

. Inks, Sympathetic, 127 

:' Invisible Girl, 191 

Javelin, 66 
Jumping, CO 
Jumping Rope, 36 

Kaleidoscope, 141 
KJBg of the Castle, 33 
Kite, 26 

Knock Gut, Game of, 10 
Knuckle down, 66 

Ladder to ascend, 64 

Lady, the slighted, 210 

Lame Lamj»lighters, Game of, 36 

Lamp without ftame, 136 

Laughing Gas, 229 

Lantern to read by at night, 121 

Lead Tree, 133 

Leap before you look, 7 

Leap, deep, 62 

Leap, deep, with the Pole, 6^ 

Leap, high, 62 

Leap, high, with the pole, 62 

Leap, long, 62 

Leap, long, with the Pole, 6S 

Leap Frog, 21 



INDEX. 



313 



Leg, chairing tlie, 67 

Leg or Slip, (in Cricket,) 53 

Legerdemain, 149 

Lifting at Arm's length, 70 

Lines, fishing, 264 

Little Gas-factor, 138 

Liquid produced from two Solids, 

137 
Liquid, colorless, made of various 

colors without touching, 182 
Locked Jaw, 167 
Logogriphs, 253 
Long Field, off-side, (in Cricket,) 

54 
Long Field, on-side, (in Cricket,) 

54 
Long Leap, 62 
Long Pudding, 168 
Long Reach, 67 
Long Stop, (in Cricket,) 53 
Long Slip, (in Cricket,) 53 
Lop-eared Rabbit, 275 
Luminous Writing in the dark, 132 

Magic Lantern, 116 

Magic Lantern, to paint the glasses 
for, 117 

Magic Lantern, to exhibit 117 

Magic Lantern, nebulous, 119 

Magic Shrub, 136 

Magic Spoon, 178 

Magic Twelve, 199 

Magician Mahometan, 192 

Magnificent Crystals, 226 

Marbles, Games with, 9 

Marvellous Mirror, 122 

Mask of Flame, 186 

Mating Pigeons, 285 

Metal melted on paper over a can- 
dle, 178 

Metallic dissolvents, 132 

Metallic mixtures, melted by fric- 
tion, 176 



i Metallic vegetation, 133 

Metamorphosis, hideous, 177 
; Microscope, solar, 121 

Middle Wicket to cover, 53 

Milk rendered luminous, 186 

Mineral Chameleon, 182 

Minor Sports, 7 

Mirror Marvellous, 122 

Mirror, Multiplying, 160 

Miscellaneous Sports, 29 

Money Box, 173 

Money Game, 100 

Money Geometrical, 212 

Mouse in the pack of Cards, 204 

Moving Pyramid, 157 

Mukiplied Money, 124 

Nerve trick, 200 

Nine Holes, Game of, 16 

Northern Spell, 20 

Number thought of, to tell, 97, 9S 

Number Nine, remarkable proper- 
ties of, 102, 103 

Numbers, two or more thought of, 
to tell, 99 

Obedient Watch, 169 

Odd Score, 202 

Oil, to separate from water, 181 

Ombres Chinoises, 121 

Optical Amusements, 109 

Oyster Wager, 221 

Pack, the painted, 203 
Pall Mall, 36 
Palm-Spring, 69 
Paper Furnace, 157 
Paper, incombustible, 179 
Paper Oracle, 181 
Paper, brown, to burn by phospho- 
rus and friction, 187 
Parades of Carte and Tierce, 291 
Parades of Seconde and Prime, 292 



314 



INDEX. 



Parades of Octave and Semi-circle, 
291 

Paradoxes and Puzzles, 207 

Parallel Bars, 61 

Pea- shooter, 26 

Peg Top, 14 

Perch, 267 

Perpetual Motion, 179 

Phantasmagoria, 120 

Phantasmagoria, to make transpa- 
rent screens for, 120 

Philosophy cheated, 165 

Phosphoric Fish, &c. 183 

Phosphoric Oyster Shells, 185 

Phosphoric Plants, 185 

Phosphorus Steam Bath, 187 

Phosphorescent Spar, 186 

Phosphoric Wood, 184 

Picture frames, made of paper, 224 

Pigeon Lofts, 284 

Pigeons 283 ^ 

Pigeons, feeding of, 285 

Pigeons, diseases and remedies of, 
286 

Piquet pack, 197 

Plank, to climb, 64 

Plank for swimming, 85 

Plaster Busts, &c., to bronze, 227 

Point, (in Cricket) 53 

Point, to cover, 53 

Poised Penny, 152 

Poker Puzzle, 72 

Pole, perpendicular or slant, to as- 
cend, 64 

Polemoscope, 114 

Poor-house Problem, 215 

Pop-gun, 25 

Porpoise, (in swimming) 89 

Portraits, visible and invisible, 170 

Pouch, Archer's 46 

Prisoner's Base, 22 

Profit and Loss, 212 

Prostrate and Perpendicular, 66 



Protean Liquid, 179 
Pulley, 72 

Puss in the Corner, 23 
Puzzle the Card, 219 
Puzzle, Scale and Ring, 220 
Puzzling Rings, 216 
Pyramid, 12 
Pyramid, moving, 157 

Quaint Query, 212 
Quiver, construction of, describ- 
ed, 46 

Rabbitry and Hutches, 276 

Rabbits, 273 

Rabbits, Wild, 274 

Rabbits, Domestic, 274 

Rabbits, Lop-eared, 275 

Rabbits, on feeding, 277 

Rabbits, on breeding, 279 

Rabbits, diseases of, 280 

Rebusses, 246 

Recreations, Gymnastic, 65 

Regal Alliance, 202 

Re-illuminfetion, Wonderful, 156 

Reprieve, partial, 214 

Return on the Extension, 301 

Ribbon, color of, removed and 
restored, 181 

Riddler, 231 

Ring Taw, Game of, 11 

Ring suspended by a burnt thread, 
156 

Rings and Ribbons, 154 

Rings, the Puzzling, 216 

River on fire, in miniature, 186 

Rods, fishing, 264 
i Rope, to climb the, 63 
: Rope for swimming, 85 
I Rose, faded, restored, 179 
; Roses, to preserve till Christmas, 

226 
i Rounders, Game of, 20 



INDEX. 



315 



Roving, 49 
Running, 60 

Saddle my Nag, 23 

Salamander, 174 

Salts, crystallization of, 126 

Salute, (in Fencing,) 296, 304 

Samson, chemical, 178 

Seconde Thrust, (in Fencing,) 293 

See-saw, 33 

Sentinel Egg, 153 

Seven in Two, 213 

Sheep-fold, 212 

Shilling, penetrative, 173 

Short Slip, (in Cricket,) 53 

Shrub, magic, 136 

Shuffled Seven, 197 

Sibyl's Cave, 181 

Signals, confederate, 205 

Silver Tree, 134 

Sixpence, animated, 156 

Skating, 30 

Sliding, 80 

Slighted Lady, 210 

Sling, 25 

Snow Statue, 38 

Solar Microscope, 121 

Solid produced from two Liquids, 

137 
Solutions to Enigmas, &c. 257 
Sovereign and Sage, 106 
Spans and Snops, 9 
Spoon, Magic, 178 
Sports of Agility and Speed, 21 
Sports with Toys, 25 
Square hole and round stopper, 220 
Square of Triangles, 222 
Steam Bath, 187 
Stepping through your own fingers, 

65 
Steps, flying, 64 
Stilts, 73 
Stool Ball, 18 



Stone, wet, made to produce fire, 
177 

Stooping Stretch, 69 

Storm and Calm, 158 

Striker, (Cricket,) 52 

Striking out, (in swimming,) 82 

Sucker, 28 

Swimming, 75 

Swimming like a Dog, 88 

Swimming on the side, 88 

Swimming out of depth, 87 

Swimming, to turn in, 90 

Swimming, times and places for, 93 

Swimming under water, 91 

Swinging, 31 

Sympathetic Inks, 127 

Tantalus trick, 71 
Taper, exploding. 136 
Targets, 47 

Tassel, (in Archery,) 45 
Tempest, to represent, 118 
Thaumatrope, 27 
Thread the Needle, 34 
Thread, knotted, 159 
Thread, restored, 168 
Thread, incombustible, 177 
Thrustofthe Wrist, 301 
Thrust, Time, 301 
Thumb String, 154 
Thumb, trial of the, 63 
Tierce, 293 
Tin Tree, 133 
Tip-cat, Game of, 31 
Toper's Tripod, 159 
Tops, Games with, 13 
Touch, Game of, 24 
Transmutation of Colors, 134 
Transmutation, metallic, 178 
Trap, Bat, and Ball, 19 
Tricks with Cards, 195 
Triumph, 65 
Trouble-wit, 208 



316 



INDEX. 



Trout, 266 

Tumble-down Dick, 70 
Turn-over, (Gymnastics) 68 
Turn over, (cards,) 202 
Two to one, 70 

Ups and Downs, 201 

Varieties, 223 

Vaulting, 63 

Volcano, sub-aqueous, 178 

Wafers, wonderful, 63 
Walking, 60 
Warning, Game of, 23 
Vv^atch, obedient, 169 
Watch-spring Gun, 28 
Water, agitated, to calm, 228 
Water bewitched, 152 
Water, entering the, 81 



Water, to tread, 88 
Water, to^beat, 90 
Water made to boil by cold, and 

cease to boil by heat, 137 
Well of Fire, 181 
Whip Top, 13 
Whoop, 34 
Wicket, single, 55 
Wicket-keeper, '53 
Vv^ickets, 52 
Will o' the Wisp, 131 
Wine Merchant and Clerk, 211 
Wine upon Water, 155 
Wizarcf s Chariot, 164 
Wolf, Goat, and Cabbages, 214 
Wooden Ball, the Great, 71 
Wooden Bottle, Game of, 37 
Words, eighteen, in twenty-tlu'ce 

Letters, 216 
Wowski, a fancy Rabbit, 275 



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